The Marauders At Hogwarts
by Dragon Mistress
Summary: COMPLETED & WRITTEN PRE-OOTP Seven years at school with the Marauders! What will happen? Nutty pranks and twisted love triangles! Warning: Eventual SBRL SLASH
1. Year 1 Beginning of a Tale

Disclaimer: *sigh.* Nothing's mine.  
  
Summary: My own l'il opinion of how the Marauders first met, and how Sirius and Remus got together.... And Lily's kind of an unofficial Marauder.  
  
Notes: The years here are mainly my guess..... I mean, they must have gone to school in the 70's..... you know what I mean.... since we have no defined year to go with, I guessed as best I could....   
  
WARNING: Eventual RL/SB *SLASH*, some lust and jealousy on Snape's part. It's not PG-13 yet, but it WILL be.........  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Marauders At Hogwarts  
  
Year One - Beginning of a Tale  
  
~September 1, 1975 - The Hogwarts Express~  
  
Remus Lupin stared pensively out the window at the passing landscape. Here he was on his way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - a possibility he had never dreamed existed. He had always believed his lycanthropy would keep him from attending school - other parents wouldn't want their children to be around him. But Dumbledore had fixed it up so Remus could go.....  
  
Remus was stirred from his reverie by the sound of the compartment door sliding open. Two boys stood in the doorway. The taller of the two had long black hair and midnight-blue eyes, with a mischievous sparkle in them; the other had black hair (cut Beatle-style), brown eyes, and glasses.  
  
"Hullo!" the taller boy said, bounding over and pumping Remus' hand furiously. "I'm Sirius Black, mind if I sit here?" Without bothering to wait for an answer, he flopped down on the seat across from Remus. "Meet Jim," he said, waving his hand carelessly at the other boy, who stepped forward and shook Remus' hand politely. "I'm James Potter," he said, sitting beside Sirius. "What's your name?"  
"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus replied, still dazed.  
"You're starting your first year too, aren't you?" Sirius asked, and grinned when Remus nodded. "Good. We're gonna have loads of fun!"  
  
For a moment, Remus found himself speechless - no one had ever taken to him this quickly. But, then, these boys didn't know about.... his secret. And he intended to keep it that way. He realized Sirius was still talking.   
  
"I'm sorry?" he asked.   
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Almost as daft as Jim here, you are, if you don't mind me saying," he said. "I was asking you if you saw that greasy-haired kid - Snape, I think his name is." Remus shook his head. "Well, you can't miss him," sniggered Sirius. "Got more grease in his hair then there is in a fried-chicken place." He jumped up. "Looks like *this*," he said, and scowled as hard as he could - "Walks like *this*" - he stuck his nose high in the air and swaggered around the compartment.  
  
"And I kick like this," James said mildly, giving Sirius a kick in the bum. "You look really stupid." He turned to Remus. "Don't listen to Sirius, he's mad, he is."  
  
Sirius stuck his hand inside his robes and strutted around importantly. "Look! I'm Napoleon!"  
  
"Stupid prat," James grumbled, and went to pull Sirius back into his seat. But before he could, the compartment door slid open again, and a plump blond boy rushed in.   
  
"Oh! Terribly sorry!" the boy mumbled, blushing. "I was, er - that is to say-"  
  
But before he could finish, four more boys arrived. One was tall, with pale blue eyes and silver-blond hair; one was wide and muscular with a pudding-bowl haircut; the third was shorter but just as wide, with a crewcut; and the fourth was - Severus Snape.  
  
"There you are, Pettigrew," Snape said sweetly. "Hiding, are we?"  
  
The blond boy whimpered and edged behind Sirius, who stepped forward and demanded, "What do you want, Snape?"  
  
Snape's eyes narrowed. "None of your concern, Black," he answered. "It's nothing."  
  
"Leave him alone, then," James said, and Snape's eyes narrowed further.   
  
Snape sneered. "Potter, isn't it? Acting quite the hero, aren't you?"  
  
His two larger companions chuckled, while the boy with the silvery hair smirked widely. Noticing that James and Sirius' attention had been drawn to them, Snape said smoothly, "My friends - Lucius Malfoy (the silver-haired boy), Paul Crabbe (the larger of the two gorilla-like ones), and Robert Goyle (the other gorilla)."  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Lucius Malfoy? I think I've heard of your family. Bunch of slimy, evil gits."  
Malfoy glared. "Don't you dare talk about my family, then, Black," he snarled. "Better think of your own - bunch of Mudbloods."  
  
Sirius and James leapt at Malfoy at the same time; Crabbe and Goyle started forward and grabbed them. Snape had just pulled out his wand when a girl's voice asked, "What *is* going on here?"  
The boys stopped scuffling and looked round to see a girl with brilliant green eyes and flaming red hair standing outside their compartment. "Fighting?" she asked in disbelief. "You'll get in trouble with the Headmaster even before the year's started!"  
  
Snape looked at her sullenly, then beckoned to his friends."Come on," he said, and started to leave. As he did, his gaze settled on Remus. His cold black eyes took stock of Remus' light brown hair, flecked with silver; his hazel eyes, which thankfully were more green than yellow today; his slender frame and pale skin. Remus could feel his ears starting to burn. What was so fascinating about himself that Snape had to stare like that?  
  
After what felt like several years, Snape seemed to regain his control and left.  
The girl looked at them rather sharply, her hands on her hips. "What were you *thinking*? You could get in such trouble for that! It's lucky no one used any magic!" But then her gaze softened and she slid the door closed. "That Snape is bad news. I hear he knows more curses already than anyone - even seventh years!"  
James sighed. "Well, he's still stupid." He turned to the blond boy, who was still trembling. "What did Snape want with you?"  
"He wanted to practice the Leg-Locker curse on me," the boy said weakly. Sirius growled.   
"Evil, he is..... what's your name?"  
"Peter Pettigrew."  
"Well, Peter," Sirius said, cheering up slightly (the mischievous glint returning to his eyes), "Don't worry about him. Acts like he has a stick up his arse, he does." He began strutting around the compartment in imitation of Snape again. "Ouch, ow, oh, ouch!" he said. "This stick hurts! Ow!"  
  
Sirius' impersonation got Peter laughing, and Sirius, eager for more attention, strutted over to the girl and said, "Run away with me, my dear! For I, *I* am the great Severus Snape!"   
The girl giggled at him as he pretended to kiss her hand. "I doubt he's that much of a gentleman, even around a lady." she took her hand away from Sirius and wiped it on her robes (his kisses had become decidedly sloppy). "I'm Lily Evans."  
"Hi," the boys chorused, and Lily laughed.  
  
Remus smiled as Lily and Peter sat down and started talking about what they would have to look forward to at Hogwarts. And for him, at least, something just *clicked* - it was just something about the moment that made Remus realize something important had just happened between the five of them.  
  
"I think they're going to be my best friends," he thought to himself, and felt his spirits lift with the thought.   
  
~That Night, at Hogwarts~  
  
Remus stood at the head of the Great Hall with his new friends, looking round in awe. There seemed to be no end to the surprises Hogwarts held...... it might take him more than just seven years to discover all that the castle had to hold.  
His thoughts were interrupted when Professor McGonagall stepped up beside the Sorting Hat with a long list. Remus felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach as she began to call the names.  
"Avery, Darien!"  
She placed the hat on Avery's head. The first years watched curiously, then the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"  
Avery ran to join the Slytherin table, and Professor McGonagall looked back at her list.  
"Black, Sirius!"  
Sirius grinned and swaggered up to the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on his head -  
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted.  
Sirius whooped and joined the Gryffindor table, giving James a high five as he ran by.  
McGonagall kept calling out names.   
"Boot, Joseph!"..... "RAVENCLAW!" .... "Crabbe, Paul!" ... "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
Lily became a Gryffindor.... Snape's friend Goyle was a Slytherin.... Remus was getting more nervous now..... "Jones, Chad" became a Hufflepuff..... then.....  
"Lupin, Remus!"  
Feeling very sick indeed, Remus made his way up to the stool and sat down, trying his hardest not to tremble. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head.  
"Right, then," the hat whispered in Remus' ear. "Plenty of knowledge, that's good.... determination.... and - oh my. Quite a lot of bravery, and I know why... it's tremendously courageous of you to go through that every month..... you'd do well in.... GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
The hat shouted this last to the whole Hall, and Remus felt his knees go weak with relief as he handed that hat back to McGonagall and went to join Sirius and Lily at the Gryffindor table. They booed when Lucius Malfoy became a Slytherin..... "Nott, Albert" was a Slytherin too.... "Patil, Apu" became a Ravenclaw.... "Pettigrew, Peter!"  
Trembling from head to toe, Peter took his seat on the stool. Remus, Sirius, and Lily waited - "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, and they cheered loudly as Peter joined them.   
Right after Peter was James. The hat took only a short time before pronouncing him a Gryffindor, and they broke into cheers again.  
  
A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall called "Snape, Severus" up. The hat had barely touched his greasy head when it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!", and Snape strutted off to sit with his friends.  
"Stick up his arse," Sirius whispered, and they chuckled. Remus glanced up as Snape passed on his way to the Slytherin table, and jumped a bit when he saw Snape had already been watching him.   
  
After "Wilkes, Ward" was made a Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up her list and carried the Sorting Hat and the stool out of the Hall, and Professor Dumbledore stood, his eyes sparkling as he looked round the room. "Welcome! Welcome to Hogwarts, for another year! I have a few announcements before we can start.... First years are reminded that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits, as is the village of Hogsmeade to anyone below third year. Also, we have a new addition to the grounds - a Whomping Willow. It is very dangerous, and I beg you to avoid it."  
Remus swallowed and glanced uneasily at his friends. He prayed they'd never find out that the reason the Whomping Willow was planted was because of him.......  
"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore said, and Remus forgot his uneasiness as the golden plates were magically filled with food.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Remus yawned as he followed the rest of the first-year Gryffindors up to their tower. Nothing would be nicer than his bed right now......  
They stopped in front of a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress. "Password?" she asked.  
"Giant squid," the prefect answered, and led the Gryffindors through the portrait hole.   
The Gryffindor common room was quite bright and cheery, decorated with red and gold, with a warm fire crackling in the fireplace. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter trudged sleepily upstairs and went into the dormitory for the first year boys.   
Four large, soft beds stood in the circular room, their trunks at the foot of the beds. Remus pulled on his pajamas and fell into bed gratefully. What a day it had been.....  
  
~September 15 - Potions Class~  
  
"BLACK! POTTER!" Roared Professor Kirk. "Can't you behave?!"  
Remus stifled a laugh as he added daisy roots to his and Peter's potion. Once again, Sirius and James had been fooling around, aggravating Professor Kirk to no end. He swept down the aisle and scowled at them. "How is your Swelling Solution coming?" He frowned as he peered at it. Remus could tell what he was frowning about - James and Sirius were the only students who could fool around and get their potion perfect at the same time.  
  
Professor Kirk straightened up and glared at them. "You'd better start acting your age." He returned to his desk, and while his back was turned, Severus Snape took the opportunity to make a face at them.  
"Slimy git," James muttered, glaring at Snape. "Thinks he's so smart..."  
Remus shrugged, stirring the potion as Peter tipped in the puffer-fish eyes. "Teacher's pet, I expect," he said. "Don't let it get to you, Jim."  
Sirius grinned and slung an arm around Remus' shoulders. "Listen to Remmie, here, Jim," he said. "The smart one, he is."  
Remus blushed and pushed Sirius' arm off his shoulders. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he smiled, and was pleased when Sirius laughed.  
"You know, it might be fun to get back at him," Sirius said thoughtfully. Peter squeaked and looked up from the caterpillars he was slicing.  
"You're not going to get us in trouble, are you?" he asked.  
"I might...." Sirius said evasively, humming and looking up at the ceiling.  
James shook his head. "Siri, when will you learn?"  
"Never, I expect," Sirius grinned, and pulled something out of his pocket. "Volia! Dungbombs," he whispered. James grinned too when he saw them.   
"You know, this might be worth it...."  
  
While the potions stewed, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter went up to the sink to wash their hands and ladles. On their way back, James dropped a Dungbomb into Snape's cauldron (luckily, no one noticed). They went back to their table and waited....   
  
BOOM.  
  
The Dungbomb went off, spraying Snape's half finished potion all over the room. A truly disgusting smell, a mix of the Dungbomb and burnt puffer-fish eyes, followed. Remus fought to keep his face straight as James and Sirius giggled madly. Even Peter was having trouble containing himself. Wide-eyed, Lily turned to them and raised a questioning eyebrow. James nodded ever so slightly at her, but most unfortunately, Professor Kirk saw it too.  
"POTTER! BLACK! LUPIN! PETTIGREW! I'll see you after class!" the Professor roared.  
  
After the bell had rung and the rest of the class had departed, they trudged up to Professor Kirk's desk. The professor was so angry he could barely speak. "Tonight - detention - Trophy Room," he growled, and they scurried out of the classroom.  
  
~That Night, 8:30~  
  
After half an hour of polishing silver in the trophy room, Remus was struggling not to laugh again as Sirius and James played a mock-swordfight with their wands. James ducked and poked Sirius with his wand. Sirius gurgled and fell to the floor. "Remmie! Pete! I'm dying! Say goodbye to Snape for me! Tell my mum I fought bravely!"  
Footsteps sounded in the hall, and Argus Filch, the caretaker, entered. He glared at them. "What do you think you're doing, eh? Marauding all over the school. Get back to polishing!"  
"Yes, SIR!" Sirius said, jumping up and saluting him. Filch scowled and left the room, and they got back to polishing.   
  
"Good ol' Filch," James said dreamily.   
Sirius dropped his rag in shock. "Jim! Are you feeling all right?"  
"I feel fine," James said. "But Filch has given me an idea. I know what we can call ourselves now!"  
"Call ourselves?" Remus asked.  
"Yeah," James replied. "You know, sort of a group thing, but just us four."  
"Sounds fun," Peter said. "What is it?"  
"The....Marauders," James said dramatically.   
Remus, Sirius, and Peter stared at him.   
"Do you like it?" James asked.  
"Love it," Remus said.  
"Spanking good," Sirius grinned.  
"Describes us rather well," Peter said.  
It was a name that implied mischief and fun........  
  
~January 30 - Full Moon~  
  
Remus cast a nervous look at the sky as Madame Pomfrey led him to the Whomping Willow. Then he looked up at the castle, hoping no one was watching. He really dreaded his transformations more than ever before.... the thought that his friends would find out was unbearable......  
"Come, now, dear," Madame Pomfrey said softly, freezing the Willow and leading him into the passage below. Remus let out a shuddery sigh, and allowed himself to be brought through the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. Madame Pomfrey gave his hand a kind squeeze, and left him.  
Remus waited...knowing the pain would be here soon, terrible pain and mindless rage..... pain worse than anything he had ever felt.......  
  
Madame Pomfrey heard the bone-chilling howls begin as she crossed the grounds, and quickened her step.  
"That poor boy...." she murmured unhappily.  
  
~Gryffindor Tower~  
  
Sirius was perched on the windowsill in the common room, frowning thoughtfully as he gazed at the Whomping Willow. He watched Madame Pomfrey, a tiny speck on the lawn far below, hurry back to the castle.  
  
"Siri? Something wrong?" James asked from his spot in front of the fire, where he was finishing a Transfiguration essay.  
Sirius glanced around. "Remus," he muttered.  
"What about him?" Peter asked.  
Sirius went over to their table and leaned close to talk to them. "I just saw him going to the Whomping Willow with Madame Pomfrey," he said in a low voice.  
James looked up from his essay. "Remus? You're sure it was him?"  
Sirius nodded, and James frowned. "But... I thought his mother was ill.... why would he be going to the Whomping Willow?...."  
Shaking his head, Sirius sat down beside Peter. "I don't know...."  
They sat in silence for a short while, then...  
"The full moon," James gasped suddenly, his eyes widening.  
Sirius' head snapped up. "What?"  
"I just realized.... every time he goes away... it's a full moon out," James whispered.  
Peter considered this. "What about it?"  
"It doesn't mean much on its own... but.. hold on..." James said, and ran upstairs. He came back clutching his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, and hurriedly flipped it to a back page. He skimmed down it, and his finger paused near the end of the page.  
"Here it is..... it all fits.... his eyes changing color...... the grey in his hair..... how sensitive his hearing is nearer to the full moon..."  
Sirius gaped. "He's.... a werewolf?"  
Peter squeaked in fear as James nodded.  
"So that's why he's been covering up..." Sirius said sadly. "I bet he thinks we'd be scared of him." He looked at James. "Now that we know.... do you think we should tell him?"  
James nodded slowly. "But we have to find a way to convince him that we won't abandon him..."  
"When should we tell him?" Peter whimpered.  
James thought about it. "Not until he comes back," he decided. "We'll let him, you know, get over it..."  
  
~February 2 - Gryffindor Tower~  
  
Remus trudged up the stairs to his dorm, wanting to go to bed. He had only just gotten out of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had kept him there longer than she usually did; his transformation this month had been particularly terrible, and his chest and arms were wrapped in bandages that were thankfully hidden by his robes.  
He hadn't even taken his shoes off when the door swung open, and James, Peter, and Sirius entered, looking unusually grave.  
"Hullo, guys," Remus said cautiously. "Is something wrong?"  
Sirius sat next to him on the bed. "We have to talk to you, Remmie," he said, looking as if someone had died.  
"What's wrong?" Remus repeated.  
  
James glanced at Sirius, then at Peter, before answering. "We need to tell you that.... we know," he said.  
Remus felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "Know what?" he asked, wincing mentally at how guilty he sounded.   
"That, you're, um, you know........" Sirius looked away uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "A.... w-werewolf."  
"How did you find out?" Remus whispered.  
"We put all the symptoms together......." James muttered, shuffling his feet.  
  
Remus lowered his head into his hands. The thing he had been dreading more than anything had finally happened. His friends were going to desert him. How could he live with that? He fought back tears as he raised his head and said, "Alright, then - I won't be your friend anymore. I know you wouldn't want to be friends with a werewolf." Without waiting for an answer, he put his face in his hands again and sniffled.   
To his surprise, Sirius pulled him into a comforting hug. "Don't say that, Remmie," Sirius murmured. "We still want to be your friends."  
"Really?" Remus sniffed.  
"Really," said James, climbing onto the bed and joining in on the hug. "So what if you're a werewolf? You're a great friend and always there for us. So now we want to be there for *you*. We couldn't be the Marauders without you!"  
"Yeah," said Peter, squeezing onto the bed. "We like you too much to give up on you now."  
"And besides," Sirius chuckled, "You know all our secrets! We can't let you go!"  
  
It was if a large weight had been lifted off Remus's chest. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said helplessly, "You guys are too good for me."  
"Nahh," Sirius said, considering this. "If I was, I wouldn't have gotten you in trouble so many times." He laughed and began tickling Remus, who retaliated by hitting him with his shoe, which earned him a whap with a pillow from James, leading to a giant pillow fight that lasted well into the night. By the time it was over, they just fell asleep in the middle of the floor, fully dressed.  
"They really are my best friends," Remus thought as he snuggled closer to Sirius, then closed his eyes and slept peacefully.  
  
~April 4 - the Library~  
  
"Remmie!" Sirius wailed. "Still studying? Come on, come on, let's go *do* something!"  
Remus arched an eyebrow. "Exams are fast approaching, Siri."  
"They're not until June!" Sirius pouted, flopping back in his chair. "Let's do something fun!"  
With a sigh, Remus put down his book. "Right, then, what do you want to do?"  
Sirius looked stumped. Evidently he hadn't thought Remus would agree so quickly. But luckily for him, James came to his rescue.  
"Let's go outside and play Quidditch!" James suggested. "I want to get on the Gryffindor team next year, so it's never to early to start practicing!"  
"Yeah!" Sirius cheered. "Let's go!"  
Remus gulped. If there was one thing in the wizarding world he didn't enjoy, it was flying. Being that high off the ground made him feel ill. But even Peter was nodding in agreement, so he gave in.  
  
After dropping their books off at their dorm, the Marauders ran off to the Quidditch field - and straight into Madam Hooch.  
"Oof! Do watch where you're going, boys!" Madam Hooch gasped. "Where *are* you going?"   
"Practicing flying, ma'am," Sirius replied sweetly, looking shyly up at her from under his heavy lashes. The other Marauders waited - Sirius' charm usually worked on any adult - well, except their Potions teacher.  
"Well -" Madam Hooch paused, then relented. "All right. But make sure you don't leave the grounds, and get in by dark... and mind the brooms."  
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused, and once she was gone, they broke into a run down the hill to the Quidditch field.  
  
"Right, then," said James, pulling some brooms out of the shed. He tossed one to Sirius, and another to Peter. He held one out to Remus, who shook his head.   
"You know how hopeless I am at flying, Jim," he said. "No, I'll stay one the ground, where I can't get hurt so easily."  
"Oh, come on," Sirius wheedled. "Here - ride with me, then."  
"No, that's okay," Remus said.  
"Quit it, you great prat," Sirius said impatiently. "Get on."  
  
Remus carefully mounted the broom behind Sirius, and put his arms around him. Sirius kicked off the ground, and Remus gripped him tighter and whimpered. Sirius looked back over his shoulder with a grin. "Perk up, Remmie, I won't let you fall." Then he went into a dive that left Remus' stomach behind, laughing maliciously.  
"You jerk!" Remus shouted, wanting to punch him on the shoulder, but not daring to let go to do it. "Wait until we get back on the ground!"  
  
James zoomed at Sirius and Remus, laughing. "He sounds like he means it, Siri! You'd better watch out!"  
With a scowl, Sirius shot straight at James, Remus hanging on for dear life. Peter laughed and zoomed in between, and Sirius swerved in midair to avoid him. Remus groaned as his stomach flipped over, and Sirius slowed. "You okay?"  
"Feeling a tad queasy," Remus admitted. "Can you go slower?"  
"Sure." Sirius grinned, and he did - for about three seconds. After five minutes of swooping an swerving, Remus demanded to be let down. By then, it was starting to get dark, so they put the brooms away and headed up to the castle for dinner.  
  
~June 19 - Exam Week - Lunchtime~  
  
"That was awful," Peter groused, poking unhappily at his beef stew. "Turning mice into snuffboxes! Mine still had whiskers!"  
"Aw, it's not that bad, Pete," Sirius said bracingly. "I'll bet McGonagall will still pass you.... I mean, it *was* still a snuffbox, if you ignored the whiskers... What are you looking at, Remmie?"  
Remus was looking over at the Slytherin table thoughtfully, but shook himself out of his thoughts when Sirius spoke. "Nothing," he lied. "Siri's right, Pete. I'll bet you passed anyhow." He glanced back at the Slytherin table. Severus Snape was still sitting there with his friends, talking, but every now and then he'd glance at the Gryffindor table. Remus felt his ears going red, so he looked back at his Potions notes, trying to ignore Snape. *Why* was Snape showing such an interest in him? Almost all year, Snape had been shooting glances at Remus that the young werewolf couldn't understand, usually when their friends weren't around. But whenever the other Marauders or Snape's friends were around, Snape was as unpleasant to Remus as he was to everyone else. What was going on?  
  
The bell rang then, and Remus closed his notebook with a snap. Time for Potions.  
  
~June 28 - The Leaving Feast~  
  
All too soon, it was time to go home for the holidays. All four Marauders had passed every subject. As Sirius had predicted, McGonagall had passed Peter despite the whiskered snuffbox. Most unfortunately, Snape and all his friends had passed as well. "You can't always get what you want," Sirius had sighed sadly at the news.   
Ravenclaw won the House Cup, mostly because of their outstanding performance at Quidditch. Gryffindor came in second; Hufflepuff, third; and Slytherin in last, which made Sirius laugh so hard he had to stifle his laughter by burying his face in his sleeve.  
"Next year, Jim," Pete said comfortingly to James, who was looking a trifle exasperated at Ravenclaw's victory. "Once they have you on the team, we'll be sure to win!"  
Remus nodded in agreement and patted James' back. "Pete's right. We'll flatten them."  
  
But if there was one thing Remus was dreading, it was going home. He loved his parents and all, but he'd be lonely without his friends. What was he going to do for two months, all alone?   
James seemed to be reading his mind. "Aww, cheer up, Remmie," he said. "We'll write to you, and we can all try to get together sometime...."  
"Yeah!" Sirius said, his mouth full of mashed potato. "An' we can all go down to Diagon Alley together to get our stuff for next year!"  
Remus smiled. "All right, sounds good to me..... we could go camping."  
"Or fishing," Peter said.  
"How about... flying?!" James suggested evilly, and laughed when Remus punched him on the arm. "Just kidding!"  
"We could go to Muggle stores and see what they're like!" Sirius said happily. "I want to play with the gadgets!"  
"In that case, we aren't going," Remus said promptly, making the others laugh.  
  
On the Hogwarts Express, the next day, the Marauders were busy planning adventures for the summer over games of Exploding Snap. By the time the train pulled up to the station, Remus was slightly more cheerful about the holidays. It was only two months, besides. Then he'd be back at Hogwarts......  
  
  
To Be Continued  
  
(Coming soon: Year 2! Back to Hogwarts, and this time, Sirius, James, and Peter have a surprise for Remus. What is it? You'll just have to wait and see!)  
  



	2. Year 2 An Idea Is Born, and James Makes...

Disclaimer: See the first chapter....  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash soon!   
  
Credits: I have to thank dragon_princess2028 for helping me think up names for the members of the Quidditch teams. We were a bit on the silly side at the time.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 2 - An Idea Is Born, and James Makes the Team  
  
~August 15, 1976 - Camping~  
  
"CANNONBALL!" Sirius shrieked in delight, tucking his knees under his chin as he fell.  
"NOOOOO!!!!" yelled James, swimming as fast as he could to get away. "TIDAL WAVE!!!"  
  
*SPLASH*.  
  
"Ahhhhh!" yelped Peter and James together, sputtering and waving their arms. "Sirius, stop that!"  
Sirius surfaced and shook his long black hair out of his eyes in a doglike way. "Aw, you're no fun," he pouted, and turned to Remus, who was sitting on the edge of the float with his feet in the water. "It was cool, wasn't it, Remmie?"  
"I suppose," Remus said, smiling, "But I doubt Jim and Pete appreciated it."  
  
It was the last camping trip of the summer for the Marauders. In a little over two weeks, they would be returning to school, back to Hogwarts for another year. And even though this had been the best summer of Remus' life, he couldn't wait to get back to school. He smiled at the thought. He probably wouldn't like school so much, or the summer holidays either, if it weren't for his friends.  
If he ignored his transformations, Remus couldn't think of a better time he'd had before this summer - well, besides last year at Hogwarts, that was. All summer long, the Marauders had been getting together for camping and fishing trips, sleepovers, and (at Remus' insistence), study sessions. Both Sirius and James had protested, but Remus was stern. "It doesn't do any good to procrastinate," he had told them. "We've got homework to do, you know. You don't want to fall behind, do you?" As James and Sirius were the cleverest students in their year, this hardly mattered; but neither of them liked to argue with Remus when he had a bee in his bonnet over something. Not to mention, Peter had been grateful for the extra help with his work.  
  
"I wonder what's under here," Sirius mused, looking at the float.  
"Seaweed, probably," shrugged Peter.  
"Maybe a dead body," James said, his eyes lighting up with the typical excitement only a twelve-year-old boy could produce at the thought. "That'd be cool."  
Remus rolled his eyes. "Don't be daft, Jim. If someone had been murdered around here, we'd probably know about it."  
"Maybe not."  
"Maybe so."  
"Maybe NOT."  
"Maybe SO."  
  
Before the argument could progress any further, Peter interrupted. "Umm, guys, I'm hungry," he spoke up timidly. "Why don't we go get some lunch?"  
Sirius rolled off the float into the water, and began swimming back to shore. "Last one there's a slimy Slytherin!" he shouted.  
  
~August 23 - Diagon Alley~  
  
"A full set of Ballycastle Bats Quidditch robes!" James drooled, gazing in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. "I know what *I'm* asking for for Christmas this year."  
  
"Me too," agreed Sirius. "We could be, impersonators or something like that..."  
  
Remus rolled his eyes. For nearly an hour, they had been standing outside Quality Quidditch Supplies so James and Sirius could get a good look at all the newest equipment. And frankly, Remus was bored. What he really wanted to do was head off to Flourish and Blotts for new schoolbooks, but he didn't want to get Jim and Siri irritated.....  
  
It was Peter who saved the day. "Um, guys?" he spoke up timidly. "We only have a little while until our parents come back to pick us up... and we aren't done shopping..."  
With a sigh, Sirius and James pulled themselves away from the window. "You're right, Pete," James said reluctantly. "Maybe we can come back again before school opens......"  
  
And off they headed to Flourish and Blotts, consulting their booklists.   
"Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2....... Magical Plants and Herbs of Europe....... Dangerous Beasts and How To Deal With Them...." Sirius read as they wound through the crowded street. "Now that sounds fun," he said. "Lesson One: How NOT to get gored by a unicorn....."  
  
They arrived at the bookstore and got their new schoolbooks, but James and Sirius, feeling a tad guilty about hanging around Quality Quidditch Supplies for so long, agreed to stay for a little bit while Remus browsed through the shop, looking for a few books for extra reading. They sat down with Peter on a bench by the door and watched Remus and the other customers wandering through the store.  
  
"Do you think we should tell him?" Sirius muttered to James and Peter. "About the plan?"  
  
James looked over at Remus, who was standing in a patch of sunlight in front of one shelf, absorbed in an immense book titled 'Spells, Curses, and Counter-Curses For All Occasions'.  
  
"Not now," he said, keeping his voice low. "Let's wait..... give us more time to do a little more research."  
"Okay..." Sirius sighed. "I hope he doesn't get mad...."  
  
~September 1 - Hogwarts Express~  
  
"Remus?"  
Remus looked up from his book. James, Sirius, and Peter were all looking at him with serious, somber looks on their faces. What was wrong with them now?  
"Yes?" he asked curiously. "What is it?"  
"We have to tell you something," James said.  
"It's a surprise," Peter said.  
"We spent all summer planning it for you," Sirius added.  
"A surprise?" Remus asked skeptically, remembering the 'surprises' they had bestowed on Snape for April Fool's Day.  
"Yeah..." said James. "You see.... we did some thinking, you know, about you, and we......" he trailed off, looking nervous. "You might not like the idea... but...."  
"We've decided to become Animagi," Sirius cut in.  
Remus' eyes widened. "Animagi? Why?"  
"That's easy, isn't it?" Peter said. "So we can come stay with you, you know, during the... full moon."  
"Is that okay?" James asked anxiously.  
"Why would you want to go through the trouble?" Remus asked.  
Sirius sighed and lightly tapped his fist on Remus' forehead. "Knock knock, anyone home? We're going to do it because we're your friends and we don't want you to be alone, you daft sod."  
  
Remus surprised them all by bursting into tears and trying to hug them all at once.   
"You're too nice to me," he sobbed, burying his face in Sirius' hair.   
"You're embarrassing me," James said, hugging Remus and pretending to blush.  
"It's no problem, really," Peter said.  
"Especially since you can help us work it out," Sirius said slyly.  
Remus sighed. You had to hand it to them - they could really take advantage of a situation.  
  
~September 17 - The Library~  
  
"This looks hard...." Peter whined, reading the notes on human Transfiguration that James had written out the other night.   
"Of course it is," Sirius snapped irritably from across the table, thumbing through 'Magical Drafts and Potions' for information for his Potions essay. "You can't just say 'Abracadabra' and turn into something, you know."  
"Don't argue," Remus mumbled, absorbed in his own Potions essay. "I can't think with you two sniping at each other...."  
Sirius straightened up, tossed down his quill, and finger-combed his long hair into a loose ponytail. "I just realized something," he said. "Jim is missing."  
"Two guesses on where he is," Peter said.  
"Either nagging Madame Hooch about Quidditch practice, or lurking behind a shelf spying on Lily Evans," Remus sighed. "Same as always."  
  
But just then, James turned up, looking extremely happy about something.   
"Guess what!" he said, and then barreled on without giving them a chance to guess. "Hooch says Quidditch tryouts are next week! I'm gonna try for the Gryffindor team!"  
"Good luck, then, Jim," Remus said, smiling at his friend. "Which position are you going for?"  
James puffed out his chest proudly. "Seeker, of course!"  
Sirius started laughing. "You're mad, you know that?" he teased. "You're the slowest thing I've ever seen."  
James laughed and grabbed Sirius in a headlock. "Take it back, Black," he ordered. "Or I'll .... crrrrrrrrush you!"  
Sirius squirmed in James' grasp. "Gerroff, Jim!" he panted. "My... POTIONS ESSAY..... needs me!"  
"Like you care about that," James growled, and started tickling Sirius.  
"Break it up, now!" barked Madame Pince, the stern, vulture-like librarian. "Or five points from Gryffindor!"  
James released Sirius and sat down, and Sirius straightened up again, rubbing his neck. "I'll get you tonight, Potter," he scowled.  
  
~September 23 - Gryffindor Common Room~  
  
"I made it, I made it!" James shouted, leaping through the portrait hole in a frenzy. "You're looking at the new Gryffindor Seeker!"  
"Way to go, Jim!" cheered Sirius, jumping up to give James a high-five. "The Quidditch Cup has Gryffindor written all over it this year!"  
Lily Evans, who was passing by their table, paused, smiling. "Congratulations, James," she said shyly before hurrying on her way. Sirius giggled in delight, watching James blush.  
"Someone's got a crush...." he teased. "James Potter, the ladies' man!"  
James punched him in the arm. "Shut up," he muttered, but he blushed even more. Sirius' grin widened, and he looked like he was going to say something, but Remus elbowed him hard and shook his head.  
"When's our first game?" Peter asked, happy for a diversion from his Potions work.  
"Week after next," said James excitedly. "Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!"  
"Hufflepuff hasn't had a decent Seeker in years," Sirius said happily. "We'll flatten them."  
James smiled. "You know, Siri, *you* should try out for the team."  
Sirius shook his head. "Nah, not me, Jim old boy," he said. "Not one for showing off, am I."  
James sputtered with laughter. "Sure you aren't!" he choked, and wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "Who's the one who does *everything* he can to get noticed? And who is the one who plays with his hair for *thirty bloody minutes* every day?"  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Snape!"  
Remus shook his head. "Please, don't mention him just before dinner," he ordered. "Just thinking about him will put me off my food."  
"Agreed," said Peter. "Now, will someone help me out with this Potions essay?...."  
  
~October 2 - The Quidditch Game~  
  
"You have to eat something," Remus said.  
"Just a bit of toast, mate," Sirius wheedled.  
"You have to keep your strength up," Peter urged.  
James shook his head. "I can't eat a thing. I feel ill."  
"It's just nerves," Sirius said, "You'll be fine once you get out on that field."  
"I suppose...." James sighed. "But I always get really nervous before something big." He fiddled with his fork, looking pale.   
"It's almost eleven, Jim, you'd better head out," Remus said, and patted James' arm comfortingly. "Don't be nervous, we'll be out there rooting for you!"  
James smiled weakly, and left the Hall. Remus, Sirius, and Peter finished their breakfasts quickly, then headed out to the Quidditch stands.  
  
Almost half the school was wearing red and gold; Ravenclaw was supporting Gryffindor as well. The Slytherins, of course, supported Hufflepuff - not that the Hufflepuff team was better; the Slytherins abhorred Gryffindor so much there was no way in hell they'd support the Gryffindor team. The two teams gathered on the field around Madame Hooch.   
Izzy Jordan, a fellow Gryffindor, was doing the commentary for the match. "The Quaffle is released! And, THEY'RE OFF!"  
Up in the Gryffindor stands, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were cheering loudly, waving at James and jumping up and down.   
  
"Gryffindor Chaser Yamachi in possession of the Quaffle!" Izzy shouted. "Passes to Wood - Wood passes to Goodwind - back to Yamachi - TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR! And now - Wood has the Quaffle - oh no!"  
  
One of the Hufflepuff Beaters, Jamison, had whacked a Bludger straight at Wood. She put up her arms to shield her face - but accidentally dropped the Quaffle, which was snatched up by a Hufflepuff Chaser.  
  
"LaRue has the Quaffle - passes it to Whalebone - catch it, Joe! - oh no - Hufflepuff scores!"  
  
Up in the stands, Sirius and Remus were watching James. James was hovering above the action, scanning the field for the Golden Snitch. "C'mon, Jim," Remus whispered - and at the same time Hufflepuff scored another goal.   
"Dammit," Sirius muttered. "Come on, come on..."  
  
"Twenty points to Hufflepuff," Izzy announced, rather unhappily. "And now White has the Quaffle - oh! I say! Spectacular move by Gryffindor Beater Theodore Cleaver!"  
  
Cleaver had hit a Bludger straight at White, who had tried to dodge it, but was too slow. The Bludger hit him in the arm, making him drop the Quaffle. Sora Yamachi snatched it out of midair and sped off towards the other end of the field. The Hufflepuff Chasers took off after her, and swerved around to meet her before she got to the goal posts. But then - James dived straight at them, making them scatter and leaving Sora's way clear.  
  
"Good move, Jim!" Sirius shouted. "That'll teach them!"  
"Siri, pay attention, We've just scored again!" Remus yelled, jumping up and down.  
The audience was in a frenzy - a tie!   
"God, I hope Jim catches the Snitch," Peter moaned. "Come on, Jim!"  
Just then, a flash of gold darted past the Hufflepuff goalposts, making their Keeper, Amos Diggory, turn and stare.  
  
"It's the Snitch!" Izzy Jordan screamed. "And the Seekers have spotted it!"  
James was pelting towards the Snitch, with Hufflepuff Seeker Bobby Bennett right behind him.   
"Go, Jim, GO!" Sirius and Remus yelled.  
"Watch out!" Peter shrieked.  
  
A Bludger flew straight at James - the Gryffindor Beaters were coming as fast as they could - but they were too far behind - James swerved, but the Bludger hit the tail of his broom. James lost his grip, and both he and the broomstick tumbled twenty feet to the ground - and Bennett caught the Snitch.  
  
"Hufflepuff wins!" Izzy yelled, but Remus, Sirius, and Peter barely heard him; they tore down the stairs and ran across the field to where the Gryffindor team, Madame Hooch, and Madame Pomfrey were gathered around James.  
  
"Is he okay?" Remus gasped.  
"No," James moaned. "I missed the Snitch, Remmie...."  
"That's not important now!" Madame Pomfrey said, magicking James onto a stretcher. "Let's get you to the hospital wing, come on...."  
  
~In the hospital wing~  
  
"It was still a great performance, Jim," Remus said consolingly. "If that Bludger hadn't hit the end of your broom, you still could have made it."  
"Yeah," Sirius said. "Don't beat yourself up over this. There'll be other games, too."  
"And you heard Joe," Peter said. "He doesn't blame you a bit. Neither does the rest of the team."  
"Yeah," sighed James. Joe had, in fact, congratulated him several times on his great flying and nice save - "And the way you tried to avoid that Bludger was good too," Joe had said.  
Remus smiled at his friend. "It's ok, Jim. Just wait until we play Slytherin."  
James blanched. "Slytherin? God, if we don't beat them, Snape will be unbearable..."  
  
~The Next Day~  
  
Well, there was one thing James hadn't reckoned on. Snape didn't need a Slytherin victory to be unbearable - as they learned on Monday, in Potions class.  
  
"So, Potter," Snape said coolly as the Marauders entered the room, "Taken up bunjee jumping, have we? Pity you forgot your cord...."  
  
"Ignore him," Remus muttered under his breath, grabbing both James and Sirius by their sleeves and pulling them to a table at the back of the room before there could be bloodshed. "He's just a stupid git."  
"I know," James sighed. "But still.... there's only so much one person can take..."  
  
The Marauders had spent the better part of Sunday in the Gryffindor common room, doing homework, mostly to avoid the Slytherins. James didn't need to be tormented every moment of every day. It was only a Quidditch match, Remus thought, taking out his notebook and beginning to copy down today's potion recipe. It wasn't like the fate of the world depended on it.   
  
Most unfortunately, Snape was beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's loss, and took every opportunity to rub it in James' face. Sirius finally got mad enough to fling a very dead, very large caterpillar at Snape, hitting him in the forehead and splattering slime all over his face, causing Professor Kirk to give Sirius detention. "And it barely made a difference, either," Sirius grumbled as they headed off to Transfiguration. "Even if I dipped him in a bucket of slime he'd be just as greasy as always."  
  
~January 2 - last day of the holidays~  
  
"I'm going to kill him," Sirius growled, standing up. "That bloody prat, I swear I'm going to kill him."  
Remus sighed, reached up, and seized a handful of Sirius' robes. He pulled him back into his seat and said sternly, "Siri, you can't kill him. You'd get expelled. And besides, it's *Christmas*."  
"I'd probably get an Award for Special Services to the School," Sirius grumbled, shooting a glare across the hall at Snape, who was entertaining the Slytherins by impersonating James falling off his broom.   
"You'd think he'd get tired of that by now," James said wearily. "No, wait, he's only been doing it for - nearly three months! My mistake, he's got plenty of use left in that joke..."  
"Buck up, Jim," Remus said bracingly. "Only the Slytherins think it's funny, and we all know how dull-witted they are..."  
  
He couldn't blame James for how he felt - if the Slytherins had been tormenting *him* for months, he probably would get a little sick of it too. A little? That was an understatement.  
  
"Wait," Sirius said, his eyes lighting up. "I think I have an idea. It's risky, but it'll get Snape off your back, Jim."  
"What is it?" James asked eagerly. Remus felt a tad unsure, but he didn't want Snape bugging his friend so much.  
"How risky, Siri?" he demanded.   
Sirius grinned. "We-ell, It won't be risky if someone usually unsuspected does it..."  
Remus gulped. "ME?!"  
"Pleeeeeeease?" Sirius pleaded, making puppy dog eyes. "No one would ever suspect you, Remmie!"  
Remus sighed. "What do I have to do?"  
Sirius put his hand inside his robes and drew out a very small, brightly pink bottle. "All you have to do is pour this in Snape's pumpkin juice at dinner tonight," he said, his eyes sparkling. "It takes a few hours to work, but if I'm right, Snapey's going to have one hell of a surprise tomorrow morning."  
"What is it?"Remus asked, slipping the bottle into his pocket after a furtive glance around.   
Sirius' grin widened. "You don't want me to ruin it for you, do you?"  
Remus sighed. This wasn't his idea of fun.  
  
~Later That Night~  
  
Sirius hugged Remus and laughed. "Good job, Remmie!" he cheered. "If I hadn't known what you were going to do, I wouldn't have even suspected it!"  
James grinned and rumpled Remus' hair. "Definitely," he said. "You didn't even pause."  
Remus blushed and swiped at his bangs. "It wasn't that hard to do."  
"I would have made it look too obvious," Peter said admiringly. "That was just great."  
  
At dinner, Remus had gone up to the teacher's table to ask Professor McGonagall a question, passing Snape as he did. When he passed Snape again on his way back to his seat, he had squeezed the contents of the bottle hidden up his sleeve into Snape's goblet - without so much as a pause or a blink. James and Sirius had had a hard time covering their giggles during the rest of the meal, and the Marauders had gone up to their dorm early to have a good laugh.  
"That's not all," Sirius said happily. "Wait till you see what it does to him."  
"What?" Peter asked. "Come on, tell me!"  
But Sirius resisted Peter's badgering for the rest of the night, lying on his bed and finishing a History of Magic essay. The others did the same. Remus sprawled on his bed, reading, but wondering what was going to happen to Snape, and worrying if someone had seen him.  
  
He glanced up at Sirius, who was writing furiously, and his stomach seemed to do a flip-flop. The lamplight glowed on Sirius' long, silky hair, highlighting the black with gold. The blackness of Sirius' hair contrasted beautifully with his winter-pale skin, as did his' long, sooty eyelashes. For just one moment, Remus saw Sirius in a way he supposed no one else had - stunningly beautiful. But then he blinked, and then Sirius looked the same as always.....  
  
He shook himself from his reverie, and wondered what the hell *that* had been all about.  
  
~January 3 - start of next term~  
  
James and Sirius were leaning across the table in order to get a good view of the door leading into the Great Hall. Remus kept his attention on his waffles, afraid to look up. He really wished he hadn't agreed to this prank. What if Sirius had done something wrong, and Snape had ended up getting poisoned? It wasn't likely, but if Sirius *had* wanted to poison Snape.... or what if it gave Snape horns or something, and they couldn't be removed? Playing pranks was not good on his stomach, Remus decided. He felt sure he was going to be violently ill very soon.  
  
Just then, Sirius and James began chuckling, their shoulders shaking and tears streaming from their eyes. And they weren't the only ones. More and more students were beginning to laugh, and Remus finally dared to look up. Snape had just entered the Great Hall, looking like he was wishing mightily for someone to kill him.  
  
Snape's shoulder-length, greasy hair was pink.  
Neon pink.  
Shocking pink.  
The brightest, most blinding pink you can imagine.  
  
Remus couldn't help it, he spluttered with laughter. James and Sirius were howling, their heads on the table, crying with mirth. Peter was giggling like mad. Snape's face was almost as pink as his hair. He sat down at the Slytherin table and pulled the hood of his robes up over his head. As he did, he shot a nasty look at the Marauders, and suddenly Remus felt apprehensive again. What if Snape suspected them? Or worse, what if Snape ended up getting one of the others in trouble, instead?  
  
"Don't worry, Remmie," panted Sirius, gasping for breath. He seemed to know exactly what was troubling his friend. "He won't suspect it's you. And it's not permanent. It should be gone by lunchtime."  
  
Sure enough, by lunch Snape's hair was black again. The sight of him in Potions before lunch had been quite funny, though - his hair had been alternately streaked black and pink.  
  
It was, as Sirius said, a sight to die for.  
  
~April 15~  
  
"I feel ill," James said.  
"Let's not go through *this* again," Sirius said warningly. "You'll do fine. Besides, Joe's had the lot of you practicing forever! There's no way Slytherin can beat us."  
Gryffindor had flattened Ravenclaw early in February, and now they were going up against Slytherin, a rather nerve-wracking prospect.   
"Garoff really has a good team," James said despairingly, as they got up together and headed to the Quidditch field.   
"Pfft. Lucius Malfoy's their Seeker," Sirius snorted. "He's a wimp - knock him off his broom."  
They had reached the field by now, so Sirius, Remus, and Peter patted James on the back, wished him good luck, and headed into the stands. They sat down and were soon joined by Lily Evans.  
  
The rest of the school soon gathered in the stands. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were supporting Gryffindor, of course, but the whole of Slytherin House, all in green, stood out amongst the sea of gold and scarlet.   
"Did I ever mention green is my least favorite color?" Sirius mumbled, looking out at the crowd of Slytherins.  
Remus patted his arm. "Don't worry, Siri. We'll crush them."  
"I just hope Jim stays on his broom," said Peter. "Look, here they come!"  
  
"The teams are on the field!" Izzy Jordan shouted (he was doing the commentary as always). "Captains Smith and Garoff shake hands - Madame Hooch has released the balls - and off they go!"  
Remus cheered and waved to James, who grinned broadly and waved back.   
"Slytherin Chaser Rosier has the Quaffle! Passes to Crabbe - oh! Nice steal by Gryffindor Chaser Yamachi! Go, Sora!"  
Sora Yamachi had intercepted Rosier's pass to Crabbe, snatched the Quaffle from between them, and was now zooming towards the Slytherin goal posts. She passed the Quaffle to Celeste Wood, who threw it through the hoops. Slytherin's Keeper, Garoff, made a grab for the Quaffle, but missed.  
"Ten points to Gryffindor!" Izzy shouted, as the Quaffle was snatched by Rosier once more. "Slytherin in possession - Rosier passes to Jointly - Jointly passes to Crabbe - Crabbe throws - YES! Excellent save by Smith!"  
  
Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Peter cheered and catcalled, jumping up and down and waving their Gryffindor banners wildly over their heads. The Gryffindor team was in excellent form, thanks to their endless training sessions.   
"We've just *got* to win," Peter squeaked. "Go, Jim!"  
"Go, Jim!" Lily yelled.   
  
"Yamachi in possession - passes to Wood - back to Yamachi - oh NO!"  
Grub Jointly, one of the Slytherin Chasers, had deliberately elbowed Sora in the face. She yelped in pain and dropped the Quaffle, and at the same moment Madame Hooch's whistle rang out.  
"It a foul to Gryffindor!" Izzy shouted. "Yamachi takes the shot - oh no, a little off - wait - I don't believe it! She's scored! Another ten points to Gryffindor! Twenty to zero!"  
  
The Slytherin Beaters, enraged at the foul, began knocking the Bludgers towards Sora at every chance. She swerved and turned, avoiding them wonderfully - and scored another ten points, easily throwing the Quaffle past Garoff with a superb throw.  
  
"Gryffindor playing better than ever!" Izzy cheered. "Thirty to zero! Oh, I say - was that the Snitch?"  
A murmur ran through the crowd. A flash of gold had appeared, flitting across the field. James tore after it, but Lucius Malfoy suddenly flew in front of him, blocking his way.   
  
"Damn!" Sirius swore, looking almost directly overhead at James and Lucius. "That bastard! Kill him, Jim!"  
  
The Slytherin team, cheered by Malfoy's block on James, seemed to recover some energy. Their Beaters headed straight for the Gryffindor Chasers as fast as they could. Wentworth and Cleaver had more than they could do trying to keep the Bludgers away from their Chasers. But in the midst of all the confusion - Celeste Wood scored another goal for Gryffindor.  
"Well done!" Remus shouted. "Watch out!"  
Celeste easily dodged a Bludger, then gasped as the Snitch zoomed by right under her nose.  
"Go, Jim, GO!" Sirius yelled as loud as he could. "Get it!"  
  
James had already seen the Snitch, and was speeding towards it, with Lucius Malfoy close behind. They were neck-and-neck now - James was pulling ahead - he knocked Malfoy's hand away -   
"I've got the Snitch!" he roared, holding it above his head. The crowd erupted into tumultuous applause, cheering wildly.  
  
"James Potter gets 150 points for catching the Snitch!" Izzy yelled. "Gryffindor wins! 190 to zero! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"  
  
Remus cheered, laughing happily. Sirius seized Remus, Peter, and Lily in a huge bear hug. "We won! We won! Stupid Slytherin!" he yelled. "Let's go get Jim!"  
  
~Later that night~  
  
"Bloody fantastic, Jim," Sirius repeated for about the trillionth time. "Fantastic. The look on Malfoy's face!"  
"Snape won't be so cocky now," James said, satisfied.   
Sirius waved a hand. "He hasn't even gained back his swagger after that hair dye incident," he grinned.  
Remus yawned. "They'll be talking about this for quite awhile, Jim," he said.   
Peter grinned around the remains of a Chocolate Frog. "It was good!" He held out another Frog to Remus, who groaned and politely refused.  
"I've had too much to eat already, Pete," he said, smiling.   
  
All of Gryffindor House had been up until nearly one in the morning, celebrating. James had gotten hugs and kisses from every girl in Gryffindor (a fact with both embarrassed and pleased him). Right now, the Marauders were in their dorm, relaxing a little before bed.  
  
Remus stifled another yawn behind his hand. "It's three-thirty in the morning," he said. "We'd better get to sleep."  
Sirius pouted, but James laughed and clapped him on the back. "Remmie's right. We have classes tomorrow. Not everyone's a night owl like you, Siri."  
  
~June 29 - Hogwarts Express~  
  
"I still can't believe the look on Snape's face last night!" Sirius crowed. "When Dumbledore said we'd won the House Cup - it was priceless!"  
"Too bad we didn't have a camera," Peter said unhappily.  
Sirius smirked. "You didn't. But *I* did!"  
He pulled a picture from his pocket and held it out. Peter, Remus, and James crowded around to look.  
  
The picture showed Snape sitting at the Slytherin table, looking happy. His smile faded (if there had been sound, they would have heard Dumbledore announcing the points), then his face went white with shock, his eyes huge, and his bottom lip began to tremble.  
  
James spluttered with laughter. "Serves him right, the slimy git! We've really put it over on him this year for sure!"  
Sirius grinned. "There's always next year, too." he said as the train pulled into the station. "We'll have to start planning pranks over the summer, to use on him...."  
  
Laughing, the Marauders went to retrieve their luggage.  
  
To be continued  
  
Coming Next : Our Marauders are in third year! They'll be starting some new classes, and they'll face some nutty professors and a potentially insane first-year!  
  
(A/N: I don't think anyone cares, but if you do, here is a list of the members of all the Quidditch Teams! WARNINGS: These names are largely made out of random sputterings and stammerings. Written too late at night to think coherently. Any recognizable ones are property of J.K. Rowling. )  
  
GRYFFINDOR: Joe Smith (Captain/Keeper); James Potter (Seeker, duh); Jane Goodwind (Chaser 1); Celeste Wood (Chaser 2); Sora Yamachi (Chaser 3); Roger Wentworth (Beater 1); Theodore Cleaver (Beater 2).  
  
HUFFLEPUFF: Amos Diggory (Captain/Keeper); Bobby Bennett (Seeker); Joseph White (Chaser 1); Mary LaRue (Chaser 2); Jonah Whalebone (Chaser 3); John Jamison (Beater 1); Big McLargeHuge (Beater 2).  
  
RAVENCLAW: Esther Leaf (Captain/Seeker); Chad Wagglemuff (Keeper); Sara Josephson (Chaser 1); Rose McDougall (Chaser 2); Devon Griphonwah (Chaser 3); Bill Jones (Beater 1); Apu Patil (Beater 2).  
  
SLYTHERIN: Sludgenmuck Garoff (Captain/Keeper); Lucius Malfoy (Seeker); Paul Crabbe (Chaser 1); Evan Rosier (Chaser 2); Grub Jointly (Chaser 3); Puglin Boot (Beater 1); Brutus Maximus (Beater 2).  



	3. Year 3 Denial, Frustration, and Everyth...

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... I don't own Hotaru Tomoe (Sailor Saturn, playing the part of the Divination teacher here) either. She's property of the great Naoko Takeuchi.  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash soon!   
  
Introducing: Remus and Sirius' families! I made them up myself, please don't steal them!  
  
Most unfortunately, I had to add more Snapey-ness. Sorry about that. But by the next chapter, you'll see what I'm building up to.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 3 - Denial, Frustration, and Everything In Between  
  
~August 23, 1977 - the Lupin house~  
  
A steel-gray owl fluttered in through the open window of a bedroom on the second floor. It landed on the headboard of the bed and looked down at the person asleep in it. The person was, in fact, Remus Lupin.  
Across the room, a tawny owl sitting on a perch had just noticed the presence of the newcomer. The tawny owl hooted loudly, hoping to get the attention of her owner. Remus stirred, then opened his eyes. He yawned, stretched, and sat up. The owl fluttered down into his lap.  
"H'lo, Rose," Remus said sleepily, stroking his owl's head. Rose looked upward pointedly, and Remus turned to see a familiar gray owl sitting on his headboard. "Oberon!" Remus said, recognizing Sirius' owl. Oberon hooted and fluttered down to sit on his shoulder. Remus eagerly pulled the letter off the owl's leg, and began to read.  
  
-Hey, Remmie!  
Sorry it took me so long to answer you. We just got back from a vacation. Dad brought us to America to visit a cousin of his. We ended up going camping, which was really fun, 'cos we did it the Muggle way. And then my sis had to borrow Oberon to send a letter to her boyfriend - I'll be glad once they get married and OUT OF OUR HAIR. But anyway - I just wanted to know, are you coming to Diagon Alley with me and Jim and Pete next week, say, the 29th? Will your parents let you? They'd better, or we'll kidnap you! Nah, just kidding.  
Hope to see you there!  
Siri  
  
P.S. I've got something to show you, too! -S -   
  
Remus smiled, and jumped out of bed (upsetting both owls and making them hoot in indignation), and went to his desk. He grabbed a quill and some parchment and scribbled :  
  
-H'lo, Siri!  
It's all right, I asked my parents ages ago about meeting you guys in Diagon Alley, and they said we could go whenever I want! I'll meet you down there on the 29th. Can't wait to hear more about your camping trip - how many poor innocent Muggles did you scare?  
See you soon,  
Remmie-   
  
He folded up the note, and Oberon landed on the desk and held out his leg obediently. Remus tied the note to Oberon's leg, took him to the window, and watched as the owl soared away.   
"Remus! Breakfast!" his mother called from downstairs.   
"In a minute, Mum," he called. Before he went downstairs, he paused to comb his hair. He studied his reflection in the mirror, pleased. He had been trying to grow his hair out for months, and only just now was it beginning to show some improvement. It wasn't quite shoulder-length, but it was long and shaggy enough for his mother to complain about it. Good enough.  
  
When Remus trudged into the kitchen, it was to find his father, his sister, and his two brothers sitting at the table. His mother was at the stove. Remus sat down, and his mother placed a bowl of porridge in front of him. Remus *hated* porridge. Especially in the summer. Trying not to think of all the slimy, lumpy, terrible things porridge reminded him of, he began to eat.  
"Have you heard from your friends yet?" his mother asked. She loved his friends, and Remus supposed it was because she had always thought no one would want to be friends with a werewolf. She didn't know that Remus' friends had figured out the truth, and certainly she didn't know that they were going to become Animagi to help her son.  
"Just now, Mum," Remus said. "They wanted to know if the 29th sounded good."  
"Of course, of course!" his mother said happily. "We can get Serena's things at the same time."  
Remus gulped. He had forgotten that his sister was starting at Hogwarts this year. He glanced over at her.  
Serena Lupin was eleven years old and a spoiled brat. Remus supposed this had something to do with being the youngest as well as the only girl. She had long, straight, light brown hair and hazel eyes. Often family and friends remarked on how much she and Remus looked like twins. Remus shuddered to think that he was anything like her. The kid was a complete psycho.  
"Uh, okay," he muttered, taking his porridge bowl to the sink.  
  
~August 29 - Diagon Alley~  
  
"Now, Remus," Mrs. Lupin said, handing him his money, "Mind you keep a close eye on your sister. Don't let her wander off alone!"  
"Yes Mum," Remus sighed. Just what he needed. To haul his little sister along shopping. He hoped his friends wouldn't mind.  
"Come on, let's go," he said to Serena, tugging on her hand. They wandered past Quality Quidditch Supplies and Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, but didn't see the rest of the Marauders. To escape from the crowd, they ducked into Flourish and Blotts.  
  
"Remmie! Remmie! Oy, Remus Lupin!" an excited voice called, and Remus grinned when he saw James, Sirius, and Peter heading for him.   
James seized him in a tight hug, then released him only to be pulled into the clutches of Sirius. "How've you been, mate?" Sirius asked.  
"Bloody fantastic, Siri. Unhand me, I can't breathe."  
Sirius let go, and Peter timidly held his hand out. Remus ignored it and hugged him instead. Peter flushed bright pink, but hugged back.  
  
"Who's this?" Sirius asked, noticing Serena.  
"This is my sister, Serena," Remus said. "She's starting at Hogwarts this year. Sere, these are my friends - James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew."  
"How do you do?" Sirius asked daintily, making a poor attempt at a curtsey. They all laughed, Serena blushing furiously.   
'Oh no,' Remus thought unhappily, noticing her flushed cheeks and the direction of her stare, 'She's got a crush. On Sirius!'  
  
"You've got to see something, Remmie," James ordered. "Come on!"  
He grabbed Remus by the arm and pulled him to the back of the store. A large cage had been set up, and in it was the strangest sight Remus had ever seen. Above the cage was a sign reading 'The Monster Book of Monsters'.  
A group of large, green-bound books were in the cage, snapping at biting at each other. Astounded, Remus and Serena watched as two of the books started fighting. The manager came running over, and poked a cane in between the bars of the cage. "Stop it, stop it!" he cried. After separating the books, he glanced at Remus and Serena. "Hogwarts?" he asked. "How many copies do you need?"  
Remus looked at his booklist, and saw the 'Monster Book of Monsters' was the book needed for Care of Magical Creatures. "Only one," he replied.  
"Stand back," the manager said grimly, and took out a pair of fire tongs. He gingerly opened the top of the cage, reached in with the tongs, and finally captured a Monster Book. He held the book out to Remus, with the binding facing him. "Stroke it," he ordered.  
Hesitantly, Remus reached out and ran a finger down the spine of the book.  
The manager pulled it from between the tongs and handed it to him. Remus took it reluctantly, but was surprised to find it had stopped moving.  
  
After getting the rest of Remus' and Serena's books, they left Flourish and Blotts for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. On the way, Remus remembered something Sirius had mentioned in his letter.  
"Siri?" he asked. "What did you want to show me?"  
Sirius stopped, and grinned. "I can't believe I almost forgot! Take a look!"  
He turned his head slightly, and pulled back a hank of hair. "I got my ear pierced!"  
Sure enough, a small silver hoop dangled from his left ear.  
"Wow, Siri, that's -" Remus began, but hesitated. The word that trembled on his lips was 'sexy', but since when had Sirius ever been sexy to him?  
"-Really groovy," he finished.  
"Thanks," said Sirius happily. "And I like your hair, Remmie."  
He reached out and stroked Remus' shaggy hair, running his fingers through the honey-silver strands, and Remus blushed. He really wanted to freeze time right then - just to have Sirius' hand on him forever.....  
  
"Come on, let's go!" Peter called, startling Remus. Sirius jumped too, and Remus was surprised to see a blush spreading across his friend's cheeks. Why was Sirius blushing?  
"Remus, will you buy me a choco-nut sundae?" Serena begged, tugging on his arm. "Please?"  
"Uh, sure, Sere," Remus said, glancing at Sirius from the corner of his eye. Sirius was looking across the street at Madame Malkin's, apparently very interested in a display of dress robes. Remus turned to follow Peter and James, and saw James looking suspiciously between him and Sirius. James grabbed Sirius by the arm.   
"We'll be right along, save us seats," James said to Remus, Serena, and Peter.  
  
James pulled Sirius into an alley to get out of the crowd.  
"What was that about?" he asked curiously.  
"What was what about?" Sirius replied innocently.  
"You - and Remus!" said James. "You were looking at him like - well, like my dad looks at my mum."  
Sirius spluttered with laughter. "Jim! You think - you think I *fancy* Remmie?"  
James waited until Sirius had calmed down some, then nodded. "Yes, Sirius, I do."  
Sirius sniggered. "Sure, Jim. And Snape has a thing for Pete. Come on, let's got get some ice cream."  
  
James followed Sirius uncertainly into the ice cream parlour. Sirius had never been too good at denying things when he was around James; they had known each other since they were born, and James supposed their closeness had made it impossible for Sirius to lie to him. But the closeness may have been the only thing which helped James to see Sirius' feelings about Remus - it was so out of the ordinary, so non-Sirius, that it had been painfully obvious to James. But no one else had noticed it - no one in the world was as close to Sirius as James Potter was.   
  
He sat down beside Sirius and poked at his choco-nut sundae, only half-listening to his friends' conversation. Before they left Florean Fortescue's, James had made up his mind. As soon as he could, he was going to get Sirius alone and give him a good talking-to.   
  
~September 2 - the Great Hall~  
  
"Oooh, we're starting new subjects today," Remus said happily, looking at his schedule. "Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination!"  
"You're the only dorkus I know who gets excited over new subjects, Remmie," Sirius said, poking Remus in the ribs.  
"And 'dorkus' isn't even a proper word, you moron," Remus said disdainfully. "Keep your hands to yourself."  
James laughed, almost choking on his bacon. "And you're also the only person we know who corrects grammar at breakfast," he giggled. "Honestly, Remmie, you're going to be a professor when you grow up."  
Sirius clutched his heart and pretended to faint. "A teacher! Heavens to Betsy! Following *rules* and giving students *detention*? Not dear, sweet Remmie!"  
"At least I have a chance of growing up, unlike *some people*, who will be silly children forever," Remus replied, casting a meaningful glance at Sirius.   
"Um, guys?" Peter asked timidly. "I think we ought to go..."  
  
He was right; breakfast was nearly over. With a groan, the Marauders picked up their bags (Peter sneaking doughnuts into his pockets for later) and headed out across the grounds to a large paddock, where some of their fellow third-year Gryffindors were gathered. Lily Evans smiled and waved at James, who blushed furiously as he waved back (being elbowed by a sniggering Sirius).  
  
"Wonder who we're having these lessons with?" Peter wondered out loud.  
  
"As long as it's not-" James started, but cut himself off with a groan.  
Severus Snape and his cronies were approaching, sneering at the sight of the Marauders.   
"Well," he said silkily, "Fancy meeting *you* here."  
He was obviously still furious over last year's hair-dyeing incident. The note of rage in his voice was too evident to be ignored. Sirius glared right back at Snape, and James couldn't help noticing the way Sirius edged a little closer to and in front of Remus, as if he wanted to shield Remus from Snape and his gang.   
"Good morning, class!" a cheerful voice called, and everyone turned in surprise to see Professor Kettleburn, a tall, strong man with a bald head and long red beard, approaching.   
  
"Are we ready?" Professor Kettleburn asked, his eyes twinkling in a way that reminded Remus forcefully of Dumbledore. "Come, now, follow me!" He led them around to a paddock close near the gamekeeper's hut. "Our first lesson - you'll love it - unicorns!"  
The girls in the class (even the Slytherin girls) squealed loudly as Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper, appeared, leading a pearly-white unicorn across the paddock towards the class.  
"'Ere you are, Professor," Hagrid grunted. "C'mon, you, get over 'ere," he said kindly to the unicorn, which tossed its head nervously, but approached the fence.  
"Thank you, Hagrid," Professor Kettleburn said, beaming.  
He turned to the class, and threw open his arms as if expecting a hug from an enthusiastic family member - a doting aunt, perhaps. "Unicorns!" he announced again in his booming voice. "Beautiful creatures, aren't they? But be cautious" - he held up one pudgy, sausage-sized finger - "For once they're grown, unicorns don't trust males as much. So, ladies, if you'd follow me-"  
Professor Kettleburn led the girls into the paddock, and the unicorn approached them eagerly. The boys leaned on the fence and watched the girls petting the unicorn.  
  
Remus was startled by Snape, who leaned on the fence beside him and said casually, "What's with your hair, Lupin? Forget where you kept the scissors? Or have you had your nose stuck in sissy romance novels all summer, and was too busy mooning over those to remember to cut it?"  
Remus blushed, and shrank back. Sirius, however, glared at Snape, shaking his long hair out of his eyes and stepping forward. "Leave him alone, Snape," he snarled.  
One of Snape's slender eyebrows arched. "Sticking up for him, are you, Black? Defending the honor of your boyfriend, are you?"  
Remus felt his face going even redder; but to his surprise, Sirius had seemed to falter at Snape's last comment. Snape's smirk widened, and Remus looked at Sirius. A flush had begun to spread across his friend's cheeks.   
"Just shut up, Snape," Sirius said hollowly. "Just shut the hell up."  
He turned his back on them all, and went back to watching the unicorn.   
  
Snape smirked. He knew what Sirius was thinking, even if Sirius didn't.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hurry up, we'll be late!" Remus panted, hurrying up the dizzying spiral staircase leading up to the Divination classroom.  
"We've-still-got-two-minutes!" Peter panted, struggling to keep up. Remus was extremely fast when he knew he might be late for a class.   
Remus skidded to an abrupt halt, making Peter, Sirius, and James crash into him.  
"Ow!" James complained. "When you stop short, Remmie, you could tell a guy!"  
"What's the holdup?" Sirius wanted to know.  
  
The rest of the Gryffindors were all gathered on the landing, underneath a circular trapdoor. A sign on the door read, 'Hotaru Tomoe, Divination teacher'.  
"What are we supposed to do, Apperate up there?" James asked grumpily.  
"You can't Apperate inside the castle, Jim," Remus reminded him. "And we aren't old enough to Apperate yet."  
"I was only kidding-" James started, but was cut off as the circular trapdoor opened, and a sparkly purple ladder lowered itself to the floor. The Gryffindors climbed up and emerged in a dim, circular room decorated mainly in purple and burgundy. The light came only from the fireplace and the small candles which stood on small tables around the room. The tables were surrounded by armchairs and small poufs. The Marauders sat down around the same table to wait.   
  
"Good afternoon," a misty, moody voice said, and the class jumped. Out of the shadows came a woman whom Remus assumed to be Professor Tomoe. She was a short, slender woman with china-white skin and shoulder-length black hair. She was dressed in a purple kimono with embroidered silver butterflies and a burgundy obi. She had dark blue eyes, and gave off an air of fragility.   
  
"Very good," she said, looking round at them, a ghost of a smile playing on her pale lips. "You have chosen to study Divination. Bravo! Divination is one of the most complex things you will ever study. Complex - yet fascinating."  
She sat, and continued, "And yet, let me inform you that true Seers are rare. If you do not have the Sight, there is little I can teach you."  
Sirius smirked and shook his head. Around the room, other students were looking as mystified as Remus felt.   
"We will start with reading the tea leaves," Professor Tomoe said. "I want each of you to divide into pairs, fetch a teacup and bring it to me. I shall fill it, then you shall drink until only the leaves are left. Then swirl the dregs three times with the left hand; turn the cups over to drain and switch with your partner."  
  
Well, this was a surprising lesson, Remus thought to himself as the class got up to retrieve teacups. Professor Tomoe filled them, and the Marauders went back to their table, trying to drink the tea quickly. Remus traded with Peter, sending an occasional glance at Sirius and James, who were giggling.  
  
"Right, then," Sirius sniggered, looking into James' teacup. "You've got - um, it looks like - uh - hmm. It looks like a pile of crap." He pretended to consult 'Unfogging The Future'. "Sorry, Jim. A pile of crap means you're going to be stabbed to death by a midget in a wedding gown."  
  
Remus choked back laughter as he tried to decipher the shapes in Peter's cup. James leaned across the table and smacked Sirius in the head. "You prat." He opened his own copy of 'Unfogging The Future'. "You've got a donkey. It means you're going to be a jackass when you grow up. *If* you grow up. But it's too late - you're already a jackass."  
Sirius stuck his tongue out at James, then they started laughing. Peter smiled, looking down into Remus' cup. "You've got - it looks like - a banana?" he stopped, confused. Sirius giggled uncontrollably.   
"A banana! Pete, what kind of fortune-telling is this?" Sirius giggled, leaning over to peer into the cup. "It looks more like a pencil," he said. "Who knows, Remmie. Maybe you'll be a writer." He stopped to consider this. "Or maybe you'll draw violent porn comics."  
They all stopped, stared at each other, then began laughing again.  
"Really, now!" Professor Tomoe said sharply, appearing at Peter's shoulder. "What is going on? Do you need some help?"  
"Yes, please, Professor," said Peter seriously.   
Professor Tomoe took Remus' cup from Peter and began to examine it. "Strange...." she mused. "The moon..... a change is in store for you. And - what looks like a star - a dark-haired lover awaits you..." - Remus blushed - "And...... a dagger... grave misfortune later in life.... An unusual cup, my dear....." she said, handing the cup back to Peter.   
  
"Hmm. Quite the interesting future you're going to have, Remmie!" Sirius said cheerfully as Professor Tome drifted away to help the students at the next table. "But don't introduce me to that dark-haired lover of yours - I just might steal her away."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
After Divination, they marched down to dinner, and had just sat down when Serena showed up.  
"Hi Remus!" she said, plunking down next to him. Remus groaned inwardly. The last thing he needed at dinner was his insane sister bugging him.   
Serena glanced shyly at the others. "Hi, James, Peter... hi, .... Sirius."  
Now that was just too obvious. Remus almost laughed out loud. How could Sirius miss his sister's crush on him?  
"H'lo, Serena," Sirius said, and his grin widened. "Hey, Jim, look!"  
James nearly choked on his steak-and-kidney pie. Coming towards them was Lily Evans.   
She paused, and her brilliantly green eyes moved from one of them to the other, finally resting on James. "Hello," she said, almost as shyly as Serena. "Mind if I sit here?"  
"Sure, Lil," Sirius said, grinning widely (James looked petrified at the thought of Lily sitting next to him). Lily sat next to James, blushing almost as deeply as he was. She looked at Serena, then at Remus. "Is this your sister, Remus?"  
"How could you tell?" Remus grumbled.  
"You two look so much alike."  
"So I've heard," Remus said grumpily.  
Lily took the hint and turned to Serena, smiling. "You've just started at Hogwarts, right?"  
"Yup!" Serena said proudly. "Now I can keep Remus out of trouble. Mum said I had to!"  
Remus blushed. Oh, how he hated his sister at times.  
  
~September 13 - Charms Corridor~  
  
"Serena, isn't that your brother?" Usagi Chikamatsu asked, craning her neck to see over the heads of passing students.   
Serena glanced up from her Charms text. "Yeah, that's Remus. Why, Bunny?"  
Usagi (called 'Bunny' by her friends, since her name meant 'rabbit') shrugged. "I dunno. He seems awfully close with James Potter and - who's the guy with the long hair?"  
"That's Sirius Black," Serena said, ducking her head and blushing. "He's one of Remus' friends."  
Bunny frowned. "He's weird. You think he might be - well, I think he likes your brother."  
Serena giggled. "Bunny!" she shrieked. "Remus - with *Sirius Black*?! Sirius is the most gorgeous guy in school - I don't think he's got his eye on my brother when he could have any girl he wanted!"  
"You *like* him, don't you?" Bunny teased.   
"Of course I like him, he's my brother," Serena said, playing innocent.  
Bunny punched her in the arm. "You liar! You know I meant Sirius!"  
Serena giggled, blushed deeper, and leaved over to whisper in Bunny's ear. "Don't you dare tell anyone - but I want to make him mine!"  
  
~September 19 - Great Hall~  
  
Remus sighed, poking at his beef stew. It was the sixth night in a row that his sister and Lily Evans had sat with them at dinner. Remus didn't mind Lily; in fact, she and Remus usually enjoyed serious discussions about schoolwork and classes while James and Sirius goofed off. But Serena - Remus was tired of her. Not a good way to feel towards your sister, but it was true. She was *annoying*. All she did at mealtimes was flirt with Sirius, who seemed to be enjoying it. Watching Serena flip her hair and flutter her eyelashes at Sirius got tiring in three minutes and made Remus feel ill. But there was more to it that that - whenever he looked at the two of them, laughing together (and James simultaneously elbowing Sirius and blushing whenever he glanced at Lily) made him feel weird. Was it jealousy?  
  
~Remus' Journal - September 30~  
  
-I've been having the strangest dreams lately. I don't understand them at all, but they make me feel so weird. Just last night, I dreamt I was walking across the Quidditch field, and then I saw a huge black dog sitting just under the goalposts. I thought it was a Grim, but it ran over to me, wagging its tail, with not a trace of menace. It jumped up on me, knocked me down, licked my face...... and then the dream changed - I was lying on my bed instead of the Quidditch field, and the dog was gone. Instead, Sirius was kneeling over me. He was smiling, but looking shy at the same time..... then he leaned down and kissed me. A real kiss, on the lips.......Does this mean anything? Could I be - in love with Sirius?-  
  
~September 30 - Slytherin common room~  
  
Severus Snape sat with his chin resting on his hand, staring into the fire with slightly glazed eyes. Lucius Malfoy, who was sitting beside him, studied his friend's expression and thought perhaps Snape was not really seeing the fire. He looked lost in thought.   
"Severus?" Lucius asked curiously. "Are you alright?"  
Snape shook himself and turned to Lucius. "What?" he snapped, sounding more like his easily-irritated self.  
"I asked if you were alright, is all," Lucius replied crossly. "Sorry to disturb your inner peace." Though he doubted Severus Snape had any peace of any kind.  
Snape grumbled and went back to staring moodily into the depths of the fire, allowing himself to return to his daydreams of soft kisses, pleading eyes, and honey-silvery hair....  
  
~October 2 - the Library~  
  
"Boy, this is going to be complicated," Peter said, wide-eyed, peering over James' shoulder at the heavy book on Transfiguration which James' aunt had sent him.   
"Dangerous, too," Remus said with worry. "Look at this. Who knew it could go so *wrong*?" He pointed to a picture of a wizard with a horse's head.  
Sirius chuckled and gave Remus' shoulder a squeeze. "Relax, Remmie. These people are a bunch of prats who probably can't tell if they're holding their wand right way up. We'll be okay."  
"But something could happen..." Remus trailed off, thinking of what a shame it would be if Sirius had to go through the rest of his life with the head of an animal - especially if it was the head of something like - like a platypus or something.  
"Well, we've just got to try, haven't we?" James said, closing the book. "Don't panic, Remmie, we'll be careful and all. Trust me."  
Remus knew he could trust James - but it didn't ease his fear. "But what if you get caught? You'd get expelled or something!"  
"You worry too much, Remmie," Sirius said cheerfully. "Trust me, it'll be okay!"  
"I wonder what we should be?" Peter mused.  
"It says the form chooses the wizard, Pete," James said. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."  
"Maybe I'll be a giant squid," Sirius sniggered. "That'd be fun, don't you think?"  
"No!" said Remus, "You'd wouldn't look so-"  
There it was again, the word 'sexy', trembling on his lips. It had almost slipped out again! He had to control himself.  
"-So much like Sirius," he finished lamely, and bent back over his homework.   
Sirius shrugged. "I was only kidding. And isn't that the point - *not* to look like ourselves?"  
Remus didn't answer. A thought had just occurred to him - what if Sirius became a wolf? He was surprised and a little scared to find that the idea excited him.   
He shouldn't be thinking like that! Another wolf being around might wake up his territorial instincts and make him angry. He might even try to fight Sirius, and hurt him.   
'I can't let that happen!' he thought forcefully to himself.  
  
~Sirius' Journal - October 17~  
  
-Something weird's going on with Remmie, I think. He was acting really strange in the library the other day. And come to think about it, he's been avoiding being alone with me. When it's me and him, and Pete and Jim, or just three of us, he's just like always. But when he's alone with me, he gets really quiet and shy. I wonder why. Quiet and shy - a trait not shared by his sister! I mean, she's a cute bird, but not really my type. She flirts with me a lot at mealtimes and in the common room. I wonder if that's Remmie's problem? Does he think I'm going to elope with his sister or something? Ha-ha, there's an idea. Yeah, and maybe Jim'll elope with Lily Evans. Ha-ha, I don't think so, kid.  
Oops. I hear Pete coming. I'd better hide this thing.-  
  
~October 25~  
  
Sirius and James were in trouble again.  
  
It was Transfiguration, and right now Professor McGonagall was yelling at Sirius and James for turning their desk into a cow, which was now wandering around the room, mooing loudly.  
"THIS IS NO TIME FOR TOMFOOLERY!" McGonagall shrieked at them. "TRANSFIGURATION IS SERIOUS!"  
Well, Remus thought to himself, it wasn't too many third years who could Transfigure the furniture into animals; you had to admit, James and Sirius were clever indeed. He stifled a laugh as the cow mistook Sally Parks' hair for hay and attempted to take a bite. Sally shrieked and leaned away, nearly toppling over in her chair. Professor McGonagall ran over to the cow and shouted, "Finite Incantatem!" The cow turned back into a desk, levitated back across the room, and landed back in front of Sirius and James.  
"Detention, both of you," Professor McGonagall said through gritted teeth.   
Remus could tell that the threat of detention didn't bother James and Sirius in the slightest. Not much did.  
"What a grouch," Peter whispered. Thankfully, McGonagall didn't hear him. Instead, she sent another piercing glare at James and Sirius before going to see if Sally was alright.   
"Be glad she didn't decide to hold you back from Hogsmeade," Remus hissed to them. "You know how easily McGonagall gets mad."  
Sirius smiled charmingly. "Don't fret, Remmie, dear," he said sweetly, patting Remus on the head. "Even old McGonagall can't keep the great Sirius Black from Hogsmeade!"  
  
James laughed, but when the class had calmed down and gone back to copying notes off the board, he glanced over at Sirius every now and then. What he saw made him curious - Sirius kept shooting secretive glances at Remus (who hadn't noticed, his head bent studiously over his notebook), and blushing. James shook his head. Sirius could deny it all he wanted - he liked Remus! Now, if there was only something he could do about it - because, in James' humble opinion, Sirius and Remus would be perfect for each other.  
  
~Halloween - first Hogsmeade weekend - the Three Broomsticks~  
  
"I don't know how we ever lived without it," Sirius said dreamily, taking a deep draught from his tankard of butterbeer. "Great stuff, this."  
"You watch it, Sirius, or you'll be one drunk wizard," Remus said in that mother-hen way they had all become accustomed to.  
"Remmie's right," James said. "If you turn up drunk at detention tonight, Siri, McGonagall will make it worse for you!"  
Sirius pulled a face and said sourly, "Thanks, Jim. Great way to ruin my Halloween feast - picturing McGonagall's mug. I don't see why we had to get detention anyway. I bet we're the only third years who turn tables into cows."  
"That's the *point*, Siri," Remus sighed.  
"Shows we're learning, love!" Sirius giggled.  
James shook his head, Remus sighed, and Peter shrugged. Sirius was one weird guy at times.  
  
"Hello, Sirius," a syrup-sweet voice said, and the Marauders all looked up at once to see Serena standing there. Remus recognized the annoyingly superior look on his sister's face. No doubt she was going to try something stupid.  
"Hello, Sere," Sirius said cheerfully. "Pull up a chair."  
Remus glowered as Serena pushed a chair in between him and Sirius and sat down, sitting so far over in her chair that she was in danger of falling into Sirius' lap. There was enough room on her chair for another person to sit in it.  
Peter hid a smirk behind his tankard. Remus glared at him, and then glanced at James, who was fiddling with his napkin and looking up at the ceiling. No help there.  
"I'll be right back," Remus excused himself, getting up. He was feeling rather ill at the sight of Serena cuddling up to Sirius.  
  
He went outside and leaned against the wall beside the window, breathing a sigh of relief, and was surprised when James followed him out.  
"Can I talk to you a minute, Remmie?" James asked, leaning casually against the wall beside him.   
"Of course." Remus was surprised. He couldn't ever recall being alone with James - usually he and Sirius stuck together like glue.  
"Are you jealous of your sister?"  
The question was so out of the ordinary, and it took Remus by surprise. He stared at James. "Jealous?"  
"Yeah. You know, because she's been so- so close to him lately?"  
Remus snorted. "Please. Close? She doesn't know anything about him."  
"I mean - you know, physically close."  
"Jim!" Remus said, shocked. Was it that obvious? "You think I'm jealous of Sere just because she gets to play with his hair?"  
James shook his head. "That's not what I meant," he said, and looked around at the crowded street. "Come on." He grabbed Remus' arm and pulled him behind the Three Broomsticks.   
Once they were out of sight, James gave Remus a stern look. "Just tell me, Remus - are you in love with Siri, or not?"  
Remus gaped at him. "Jim!"  
"Just answer me. I promise not to mention a word to anyone. Not even Siri."  
Remus hung his head. "I guess I am."  
James fought the urge to whoop. "Really?"  
"You don't hate me, do you, Jim?" Remus asked tearfully.  
James shook his head and gave Remus' shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Why should I? I don't care if you love Siri - if you ask me you two are made for each other."  
"Sure. But Sirius doesn't think so," Remus said bitterly, thinking of how much Sirius seemed to enjoy flirting with Serena - and he sure didn't mind ogling any other girls, either. "I think I'm going to go back in, Jim."  
  
He went back into the pub to get his cloak, meaning to head back to the school. He was deeply displeased to see that Serena's best friend Bunny had taken his seat, and was giggling along with Serena and Sirius. Peter was blushing, obviously not comfortable with the girls. He looked relieved when Remus turned up, James trailing behind. Remus took his cloak off the back of his chair, and put it on. James cleared his throat significantly and glared at Sirius, who got the hint. He bid Serena and Bunny goodbye and followed James, Remus and Peter outside.  
  
James glanced at Remus as they climbed the steps of the castle. Noting the unhappy look in the young werewolf's eyes, James vowed he'd give Sirius a talking-to tonight in detention.  
  
~That night - Hospital Wing~  
  
Sirius and James were in the hospital wing, scrubbing the floor. It was hard work, but James' mind wasn't on it.   
"Siri?" he asked. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure."  
"Do you like Remus' sister?"  
Sirius laughed. "You're not taking it seriously, are you? His sister's sweet, but not my type. I'm only playing."  
"Only playing," James repeated. "Playing with her affection? And if she's in love with you? Are you really going to break her heart just for a little fun?"  
Sirius shrugged. "I'm not *trying* to hurt her, Jim," he said evenly. "It's her fault she's so stuck on me. And what brought this about in the first place?"  
James paused. He didn't want to let Sirius know how Remus felt. He could pull this off - with a little discretion. And as long as he kept his temper. "I, um, think it's not right for you to do that to her. I think you might be - um, destined for someone else. I can tell."  
Sirius smiled, tossing his ponytail over his shoulder. "Really, now. Are you a love psychic?"  
"Goddammit, Sirius!" James swore, running a hand through his untidy hair in frustration. "Why do you have to be so frigging *stupid*? Can't you just *admit* it?"  
Sirius smiled sweetly. "Admit *what*, dearest James?"  
"You're in love - with Remus!" shouted James.  
"You're still on about that?" Sirius asked in frank amazement. "Jim, old boy, you're cracking up."  
"Do you think I don't notice?" James hissed, sounding so angry that Sirius stopped laughing. "Come on- I can't believe everyone else is so blind! It's bloody obvious, I see you looking at him all the time! Last year, on the camping trip, you *said* so- " he stopped, wondering how to proceed. Sirius wasn't supposed to know that James had been eavesdropping on him. But he had finally captured all of Sirius' attention. Sirius was now staring at him, looking utterly - excuse the unintentional pun - serious.  
"How do you know that?" Sirius whispered. "Just how in the *hell* do you know that?"  
James met his best friend's eyes a tad defiantly. "I heard you, you bloody prat. I was looking for you, Pete and Remmie and I were wondering where you had gotten off to - and I overheard you talking to yourself."  
  
The color had faded from Sirius' face, and he sat down weakly on a bed. "I can't believe you heard that......" He looked down at the floor, and murmured, "I didn't want to let anyone know." Then he looked up, and said angrily, "And it's none of your business anyway, Jim. You're my best mate and I love you a lot - but my love life - what little I *have* at thirteen - shouldn't bother you."  
"But Remus' well-being *does*," James retorted. "I hate to see him so depressed. Haven't you noticed how much he's been changing?"  
Sirius had noticed, and figured it was just part of being a werewolf, but he didn't think mentioning that to James would improve the situation any. "No, I haven't, or at least not to such a drastic degree," he replied. "Come off it, Jim - it's just a phase he's going through."  
Well, that seemed unlikely to James, but he could see that arguing was getting him nowhere fast. Sirius was so stubborn when he wanted to be.....  
  
~Remus' Journal - November 1~  
  
-Jim tells me Siri's being impossible again. I can see that much for myself - he and Jim seem to be having a bit of a fight. They must have had a blazing row at detention on Halloween.... they're acting pretty cool to each other lately. I asked Jim why, and he just shrugged and said, 'Because he's Sirius.' My guess is that Jim tried to ask him a few questions about me - I *know* Jim didn't tell him how I felt, Jim swore on his life he hadn't breathed a word - and Sirius refused to answer. In some ways, Sirius Black is the most puzzling, enigmatic person I've ever known....  
  
~November 9 - Potions~  
  
"I hate Potions, I hate Snape...." Sirius sang softly under his breath as he stirred. "I hate Professor Kirk, I hate Slytherins......"  
James ignored Sirius' singing, and added the stewed slugs to the potion. Only part of his mind was concentrated on the potion (hopefully a big enough part to keep him from screwing it up and getting himself and Sirius in trouble). The rest of his mind was thinking furiously. How to get Remus and Sirius together? He needed help. But who could he ask? Peter would probably faint dead away at the possibility of Sirius being gay, and James knew he *WOULD* faint if he found out about Remus. There wasn't really anyone else to ask for help. Certainly not Snape! If Snape knew anything, Sirius just might as well tattoo 'I want to date Remus Lupin' on his forehead and take out an ad in the 'Daily Prophet'. Besides, involving Snape in anything made James feel ill. Hmm.  
Professor Kirk startled James out of his thoughts. He was yelling at Peter again, who had somehow burned a hole in the marble top of his desk. Remus, who was partnering Peter, was holding his robes to his nose and waving smoke away with his other hand.   
"Fool!" Professor Kirk snarled at Peter, who looked close to tears. "Didn't I *tell* you the dragon saliva was acidic? Detention, and five points from Gryffindor for not paying attention."  
He swept back to his desk after fixing the hole in Peter's desk. Snape turned around to smirk at Peter, who was being comforted by Remus.   
"Have you *ever* gotten anything right, Pettigrew?" he sneered.   
"You're one to talk," Sirius snapped. "The only thing *you* can do perfectly is act like an evil, slimy git."  
"Keep your insults to yourself, Black," Snape retorted.   
"Then keep your ugly nose out of other people's business."  
Snape's eyes narrowed, but then he smiled, a particularly nasty smile that James didn't like. "So used to protecting people, are you, Black? Well, then, how are you at protecting yourself?"  
Remus mentally pleaded with Sirius not to take Snape's bait, but it didn't work.  
"What do you mean? Sirius asked.  
"How about a midnight duel, tonight, Trophy Room?" Snape suggested, an evil glint in his eyes. "Or are you too chicken?"  
"I'll be there," growled Sirius. "Jim's my second; who's yours?"  
"Lucius Malfoy," Snape said smoothly. "See you there."  
He turned back to his work, and James looked at Sirius, an eyebrow raised.  
"Sorry, Jim," Sirius muttered apologetically. "I shouldn't have made you do it if you're still mad at me."  
But James grinned at him. "You think I can stay mad at you for long? The temptation of seeing Snape getting shown up is too great to resist."  
Sirius grinned back. "Thanks, Jim." He looked around, then said softly, "I'm sorry, ok?"  
"Apology accepted." said James, punching him in the shoulder. "Now, about this duel..."  
  
Remus breathed a silent sigh of relief as he watched James and Sirius scheming over their potion. Looked like things would be back to normal for a while, or at least as close to normal things could get when James Potter and Sirius Black were your friends......  
  
~11:30 - Gryffindor Tower, Third Year Boys' Dorm~  
  
"I can't believe you're going through with this," Peter said, shaking his head. "What if you get caught?"  
"We won't," James said, a sneaky look on his face. "You've got to see what I scored this summer."  
He crossed to his trunk and rummaged around inside it. He extracted a package wrapped in brown paper, and carried it back over to the others, who were sitting on Peter's bed. "I wasn't going to bring it to school," he admitted with a shrug. "But then I said, 'why not?' and packed it at the last minute. My uncle sent it to me from Romania."  
He untied the string around the package and pulled off the brown paper. Inside was a long, silvery cloak.  
Sirius' jaw dropped. "Jim! Your *uncle* gave you that?!"  
"It's an Invisibility Cloak!" Remus breathed in awe, running a finger across the silky material.  
James grinned. "And it's *our* ticket to getting around without being seen," he said to Sirius. "I mean, look at it - it could probably fit all four of us under it, no problem."  
Sirius grinned back. "Let me guess - we're the only ones who know about it, right?"  
"Exactly. So if Snape's just setting us up for Filch, we'll still have a great chance of getting back without getting caught."  
"Groovy," Sirius said, glancing at the clock. "Almost quarter of, Jim, we'd better go."  
"Right," said James. He and Sirius tugged the cloak over themselves, then after Peter and Remus checked to make sure nothing was visible, they left the dorm, crossed the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.  
  
The school was pitch black, with a torch lit every ten feet or so. James and Sirius crept along silently, trying their best not to make any noise. They got to the Trophy Room without meeting anyone, even one of the ghosts. They pulled off the cloak, and waited for Snape.  
Snape and Malfoy showed up a couple of minutes later, panting and sweaty. They must have run all the way up from the dungeons at top speed to avoid being seen.   
Snape's eyes narrowed. "How'd you get up here without anyone seeing you?" he demanded.  
"Just lucky, I guess," James said airily. "Are we going to get on with this or not?"  
"Fine," Snape said shortly, drawing his wand. "Let's go, Black."  
  
The next few minutes were tense. Sirius and Snape kept shooting curses at each other and dodging them. James kept an eye on Lucius Malfoy, in case he decided to attack Sirius while Sirius wasn't looking. Sirius dodged a curse, pointed his wand at Snape, and cried, "Petrificus Totalus!"  
  
Snape hit the floor with a thud, unable to move. Lucius turned to Sirius with a snarl, and raised his wand. But before he could even begin a spell, Filch's voice rang out:   
"Who's there?"  
Lucius whirled around to look at the door, his eyes wide with fear. While his back was turned, James and Sirius slipped out one of the back doors of the Trophy Room and pulled on the cloak.  
  
They found themselves in a hallway they'd never been down before. Looking every which way for a sign of Filch, they crept down the hallway.  
"Where *are* we?" Sirius whispered five minutes later.   
"I don't know..." James muttered. "I can't see a thing, it's pitch dark..."  
They took a left turn down another corridor and found themselves in a slightly brighter corridor decorated with pictures of food. They looked around curiously, and then they heard something that made them jump: Filch.  
"Where are they?" Filch growled. They couldn't see him yet, but his voice and footsteps were getting closer. "Potter and Black again..... I'll get them this time, I will!"  
Sirius gulped, and he and James broke into a run. Filch was right behind them, almost around the corner - a few more steps and he'd be right behind them - they took another turn and found themselves at a dead end, facing a huge painting of a bowl of fruit.  
"We're done for!" Sirius moaned, resting his head against the wall. "He can't see us, but he knows we're here!"  
James backed against the painting, wondering what to do. The cloak brushed a pear in the painting, and suddenly, it squirmed, giggling, and turned into a doorknob!  
They stared at it in shock for a minute, then James grabbed the knob and turned it. The painting swung open, and they ducked into the room behind it, and not a moment too soon. The painting had barely swung shut when they heard Filch come down the dead-end corridor. They held their breath, waiting, and miraculously, Filch grumbled something incoherent and moved away.  
  
James heaved a great sigh of relief, and pulled off the cloak. "Thank Merlin. I thought we were doomed."  
"Me too," Sirius said, pulling his sweaty hair back into a ponytail.  
"Greetings, sirs!" a voice suddenly squeaked from around their knees, making them jump. They looked around quickly, and saw who had spoken - a small, brown elf wearing a tea towel, tied toga-style, with the Hogwarts crest on it. It was a house-elf.  
"Um, hi," Sirius said weakly. "D'you mind telling us where we are?"  
"You is in Hogwarts' kitchens, sirs!" squeaked the elf. "My name is Bubby - may I help you?"  
  
(A/N: Don't laugh! Bubby is my mum's nickname for our dog. His name is really Max... oh well....)  
  
James looked around. "We're in the kitchens? Wow. Looks like we found something new, Siri." He looked down at the house-elf. "I'm James Potter, and this is my friend Sirius Black - we were trying to escape from Filch. D'you know how to get back to Gryffindor Tower from here?"  
"Certainly, James Potter, sir!" Bubby said. "Follow me!"  
He led them through the kitchens, to the fireplace. "Tap the third brick under the mantle, sirs! It will give you a secret passage up to Gryffindor Tower!"  
James took out his wand and tapped the brick. A section of wall beside the fireplace slid open, revealing the foot of a staircase.  
"Wow, thanks Bubby," Sirius said to the elf. "You've got us out of a tight spot."  
"Would sirs like to take some food with you?" the elf asked hopefully.  
"Sure!" said James. "I'm starving."  
Almost immediately, six elves appeared, carrying a tray filled with eclairs, doughnuts, and pasties left from dessert. James and Sirius filled their pockets, then thanked the elves.  
"Would sirs like to come back and visit?" Bubby asked hopefully as they entered the secret passage.   
"Sure," said James, thinking of Remus and Peter. "We'll bring a couple of our other friends to meet you, too."  
"All right! Goodbye, sirs!" Bubby replied cheerfully, and they started climbing the stairs.  
  
It took a long time to climb the spiraling staircase, and they were both sweaty and dizzy when they reached the top. They emerged on a small landing, and sat down to rest.  
"Should've asked for some pumpkin juice," Sirius said, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. James was examining the wall behind them, looking for a door.  
"Siri, help me with this," he said, noting a large crate pushed against the wall. They pushed it aside, revealing a hole in the wall large enough to crawl through. They crawled through and found themselves in the hallway leading to Gryffindor Tower. As soon as they stepped away from the wall, a suit of armor slid back into place, hiding the hole they had crawled through.  
"Wow," Sirius said as they hurried down the hall. "We could use that passage for great things, Jim."  
James shot him a warning look as they approached the painting of the Fat Lady.  
"Where have you been?" the Fat Lady asked, taking in their sweaty faces.   
"Never mind, let us in - grindylow!" James said, and the Fat Lady swung open to let them in.   
  
Exhausted, they climbed the stairs to their dorm. Opening the door, they found Peter, dozing on his bed, and Remus sprawled on his own bed, reading a huge, heavy book.  
"You're back!" Remus said, closing his book and sitting up. "What happened?"  
"Let me wake Pete up first," James said, and went to shake Peter awake while Sirius emptied all the pastries out of his pockets. Remus watched with wide eyes. "Where did you get all *that*?"  
"The kitchens," responded Sirius, sitting down on Remus' bed. "Want anything?"  
"I do," said Peter, who had finally gotten up. He took an eclair and began to eat, and James and Sirius told their story.   
"Wow," said Remus when they were finished. "Sounds to me like you were operating on pure dumb luck - but it's still groovy."  
"I can't wait to go," Peter said excitedly as they got into their beds. "But let's make sure Filch isn't nearby, okay?"  
  
~December 24 - Christmas Eve~  
  
The Marauders were sprawled about the Gryffindor common room, eating snacks they had gotten from the kitchens earlier that day and listening to Sirius' Beatles records. They were the only ones left in Gryffindor Tower; every other student had gone home. Most thankfully, Serena had decided to go at the last minute. Remus figured it was because Sirius had been slowly cooling towards her over the last few weeks. Frankly, Remus was glad. Now that Serena and Bunny had begun leaving them alone, things were back to normal. Lily still sat with them at dinner, but she was much more fun to be around.  
Remus was scribbling madly away at a Transfiguration essay, wanting to get his homework done. James and Sirius were lying side by side on the carpet in front of the fire, reading thick books on Animagus transformations and taking notes. Peter was writing a letter home. It was very cozy and peaceful, and the only thing that could spoil it was the full moon... which was tonight.  
  
"Hey, look at this," Sirius said suddenly. Remus put down his quill and went to kneel beside Sirius, and Peter followed.   
Sirius was pointing out a section entitled 'Animagi Rules And Regulations'. Skimming it, Remus saw it was mainly a paragraph explaining the importance of registering yourself once you became an Animagus. It only made him worry more.  
"I told you you'd be breaking a lot of rules," he said. "Are you *sure* you want to do this?"  
Sirius punched him playfully in the arm. "Yes, we do!"  
"We knew what we're getting into when we started planning this," James said. "We're willing to go through with it, and damn the consequences."  
Remus was touched, and probably would have started to cry if the portrait hole hadn't swung open just then. Professor McGonagall entered with Madame Pomfrey.  
Remus heaved a shuddery sigh, and got up. He put his homework away in the dorm and came back downstairs, trying to ignore the looks of pity on McGonagall's and Pomfrey's faces. "See you later," he said unhappily to Peter, James, and Sirius, and allowed himself to be led out of the common room.  
  
As soon as the portrait closed, Sirius sighed sadly, running a hand through his long hair. "Poor Remmie," he said. "We've really got to get cracking on this.... I don't like to think of him being alone like that."  
  
~Christmas - 5 A.M.~  
  
The exhausted wolf laid down on the foot of the bed, trembling. It licked a bleeding paw gingerly, whimpering deep in its throat at the pain. Another long night of pain and rage. The wolf closed its eyes, still whimpering. Not even the promise of sunrise made it feel any better. Last night had been especially hard. The transformation had been awful, even worse than usual, and he had been in a blind rage for most of the night, tearing paper from the walls, breaking furniture, howling and screaming in anger. Now the wolf was completely worn out, and it finally slept, stirring uneasily during terrible, unspeakable dreams.  
  
~Christmas - 10 A.M.~  
  
"Happy Christmas, Remmie."  
  
Remus opened his eyes to see James, Sirius, and Peter sitting beside his bed. He blinked a few times, looking blearily around the hospital wing, then smiled. "Happy Christmas, guys."  
"How do you feel?" Sirius asked anxiously, and Remus had to smile. Sirius sounded just like his mother.  
"I've been better," he said. "But I'll be okay."  
James smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "We brought your presents down for you, if you want to open them now, but you don't have to. We can wait if you want to."  
Remus smiled back at him. "Thanks. But I think I'd better wait a while. You didn't buy me anything that would go bad, did you?" he said, glancing at Peter, who had been known to try and give cheese samplers to people - only to have them go bad long before Christmas.  
They all shook their heads, and then Sirius asked, "You don't want your homework, do you? Because, if I have to -" he grimaced - "I'll bring it to you...."  
Remus laughed out loud. It never failed - his friends always managed to cheer him up after his transformations. "No, Siri, I don't want my homework. You don't have to touch it and contaminate yourself. Even though that might be a good idea."  
Sirius mock-growled at him, then lowered his voice so Madame Pomfrey couldn't hear. "We read some more last night after you left. It's getting pretty complicated. But we *did* find a whole step-by-step process to show us what to do.... Can you believe it? *Anyone* in this school can become an Animagus if they just feel like looking it up."  
"It's going to take a long time, though...." Peter said.  
"I know," Sirius sighed heavily. "But we'll get it in the end - we have to."  
  
~January 4 - Divination~  
  
Remus was back in classes by now, starting only a day late. He had missed Herbology this morning, because Madame Pomfrey had taken so long fussing over him, but had gotten to Divination just in time.   
Professor Tomoe was sitting in her usual armchair near the fire, back in her purple kimono. Nearly everything she wore was either purple or burgundy. She looked dreamily round the class and said, "Today, we're going to begin palmistry. Split up into pairs, and then I'll give you further instructions."  
  
James saw his possibility at once. "Remmie, why don't you work with Siri?" he muttered to Remus.  
Remus gulped. "You expect me to ask him?"  
James shook his head in exasperation. "Never mind, I'll do it - Pete, work with me. Siri, you and Remmie."  
Sirius raised an eyebrow, already guessing James' motive, but he didn't say a word. He and Peter switched seats, and waited for Professor Tomoe's instructions.   
  
"Palmistry is really quite simple," she began. "Follow the guide on Page 577 of 'Unfogging The Future' to help you decipher the lines in your partner's hand, and to see the significance of each line. I will be coming round to help you if you need it."  
  
Sirius looked at Remus and raised an eyebrow. "Pretty dodgy, if you ask me," he said, as they flipped through their copies of 'Unfogging the Future' to find the right page. "Why did we take Divination, anyway?"  
"Because I thought it was interesting, Jim agreed, you always tag along with Jim, and Pete always does whatever you and Jim do." Remus responded.  
"Cheeky..." Sirius grumbled. "Okay, here we are. Palmistry. Gimme your hand, Remmie."  
Remus held out his hand, a trifle nervously, and Sirius took it. He was very aware of the butterflies in his stomach as Sirius ran a finger along his palm, muttering to himself and glancing frequently at his book.  
"Um, okay." said Sirius uncertainly. "I'm not sure I'm doing this right, but let's try this - I think you have a long lifeline. So, you're gonna live for a while. I think. Unless I have the wrong line."  
"How comforting," Remus said sarcastically.  
Sirius laughed, and said, "Um, let's see. This line here - is this a heart line? I'm not sure. Guh. Remmie, you've got too many lines in your hand."  
"You buffoon," Remus said, giggling. "Let me try."  
Now it was Sirius' turn to feel nervous, as Remus began carefully examining his palm, murmuring things here and there. Sirius barely heard what he said. He felt like he was going to pass out very soon - but *why*?! It was Remmie, for Pete's sake! One of his best friends! There shouldn't be any reason why some stupid Divination thing should make him feel like this. Unless Jim was right?  
  
~Sirius' Journal - January 5, 2 A.M.~  
  
-I just don't feel like sleeping tonight. I feel so wide awake. I finished all my homework and even got a jump start on the next chapter in Charms - this isn't like me. Okay, yeah, I always get my work done, but usually at the last minute. What's wrong with me? It's been like this all day. I feel kind of like I'm in a dream or something. I can't really remember much of what I did after Divination this morning. It's all kind of hazy in my head. Goddammit! It's Remmie again. He really screws me up sometimes. I wonder why? Jim still thinks I'm in love with him, but Jim's daft. I'm not in love with Remmie! He's a *guy*, for pity's sake. No way. Sometimes I think -  
  
Sirius stopped writing, listening intently. Someone was coming down into the common room. He hastily closed his journal and hid it under his Transfiguration book, and just in time. A split second later, Serena Lupin entered the room.  
  
"Hello, Sirius," she said coyly.   
"Hello, Serena," Sirius said warily. He didn't much like the look on Serena's face. She hadn't spoken to him in weeks - since before Christmas, actually. So what did she want now?  
"Still up?" she asked in mild surprise. "Doing homework?"  
"I can't sleep," he said stiffly.  
She smiled sweetly at him. "Neither can I."  
Sirius really didn't like where this was going. "Um, I think I'm going to go put this away," he mumbled, packing up his books.  
"Stay here with me for a while," Serena pleaded, resting a hand on his arm. "Please, Sirius..."  
Sirius shook his head and started to walk away. Serena jumped up and called to him, "Sirius, please come back! I - I love you!"  
Sirius stopped on the stairs and turned to look at her. "Serena," he said quietly, "Don't waste your time on me."  
"Waste?" she laughed, and followed him up the stairs. She caught him by the sleeve. "I couldn't waste anything on you!"  
He looked at her sorrowfully. "Are you doing this to annoy Remus?"  
She started at him in disbelief. "What does *he* have to do with *us*?"  
"There is no *us*," Sirius said, opening the door to his dorm. "Goodnight, Serena."  
  
Serena stood outside the closed door for several minutes, open-mouthed and stunned. She finally shook herself out of her daze and headed to her dorm, getting angrier and angrier by the minute.   
  
"I swear, I'll make him pay," she vowed as she got into bed.  
  
~February 5 - Care of Magical Creatures~  
  
The Marauders were shivering out on the grounds, standing as close to the fire as they could. Professor Kettleburn had them all collecting wood for the fire, which was home to the creatures they were now studying - salamanders. This was a good thing, because Care of Magical Creatures was less than pleasant outside in the icy winds and ankle-deep snow. "Just you wait," Peter had predicted darkly. "March comes next - rain and sleet. I hate winter!"  
"I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm cold...." Remus sang under his breath, rubbing his hands together. They were like ice, even with his mittens on. Peter was right. Winter was terrible.  
"Me too, me too, affirmative and ditto," Sirius sang back, sticking his hands in his armpits to keep them warm. "Can't we stay inside and study - house-elves or something?"  
"When I grow up, I'm moving to Alcopoco," Peter mumbled.  
Snape passed them, glowering at James, who had been making jokes about grease fires since the lesson began. Well, he had. Right now, he felt like an ice cube, and he didn't feel like making any jokes. He'd have to open his mouth and let out hot air.  
  
Sirius looked furtively around then muttered, "Remus? I think your sister's a nutzoid."  
Remus snorted. "Be happy you don't have to live with her."  
"I am, actually," he grumbled. "She might try to rape me or something if I did."  
Peter blanched. "What?!"  
Sirius waved a hand at him. "I was only kidding, Pete," he said. "But not about how obsessed she is. I mean, last night - she cornered me in the common room and was going on and on about me being her boyfriend or something like that."  
"I told you something like this would happen," James scowled.  
"What did you do?" Peter asked.  
Sirius shook his head and dumped another armload of wood on the fire. "I told her the truth - I'm not in love with her."  
"How did she react?" Remus asked suspiciously.  
"I don't know, actually," Sirius admitted. "To be honest, I really didn't want to stick around and see."  
Remus groaned. "This is bad. If I know my sister - which I do - she's going to make life miserable for you, Siri. And for me too, actually," he grumbled. "All summer long I'll have to listen to her plotting revenge."  
James shook his head. "I told you so," he said to Sirius. "You daft sod. I hope she makes you really miserable."  
Sirius grumbled something incoherent at him. Something that sounded like "My life is already miserable", but the bell rang at the same moment, drowning out Sirius' words.   
  
~April 4 - Hogsmeade~  
  
"You were right, Remmie!" Sirius wailed, burying his head in his hands. "Your sister is a *nightmare*! Make her go away!"  
"I can't," Remus said. "Unfortunately. You're just going to have to apologize and hope for the best."  
"I tried that," Sirius said as they entered Honeydukes'. "She's impossible to reason with!"  
Well, Remus knew that, he had lived with the girl for eleven years. James punched Sirius on the arm. "What did I tell you?"  
"Jim, you've been saying 'I told you so' for months here," Sirius moaned. "Give it up, already."  
  
While Peter, Remus, and Sirius browsed through the shelves and barrels and crates of sweets, James hung back a bit, thinking hard. How to get rid of Remus' sister? Okay, maybe Sirius had been a prat to her, but even Sirius didn't need some maniac first-year trailing him around for the rest of his life. If only he was a girl. That might help some, he might understand Serena's crazy motives. But there was no way James could become a girl (good, he thought). Hmm.   
He went to join his friends, still thinking. If only he could....... His eyes fell on a group of Gryffindor girls nearby. Lily Evans was one of them, and suddenly James had an idea. That just night work.....  
  
~May 12, Gryffindor Common Room~  
  
"I'll be right back," James said, getting up. The Marauders had all taken to studying in their dorm every night, seeing as it was the only place Serena wouldn't dare to follow them ('If you're sleeping there, Remus, all the dirty socks might attack me,' she had said in disgust one time).  
"'Kay, Jim," Remus mumbled from behind an enormous book.   
James went downstairs to the common room, hoping like mad that Lily would still be there. To his relief, she was, sitting with a group of her friends near the fire. If there was one thing James hated, it was approaching a girl with thousands of others giggling around her, but he summoned his courage and marched up to them.  
  
"Lily?" he asked, sighing mentally when all her friends started to giggle. "Can I talk to you for a second?"  
"Sure," she replied, getting up and following him to a corner.   
"I need to ask you a favor, if you don't mind," James said.  
"What is it?"  
James hesitated, then took the plunge. "I need you to help me to get Remus' sister to leave Sirius alone."  
One of Lily's eyebrows quirked. "Serena? What's she doing to Sirius? I thought he was the one all hung up on her."  
James shook his head. "It's a long story..."  
Lily smiled. "Hold on a minute."  
She went over to her friends, said something, then took her books upstairs. She came back a minute later, and went back over to James. "Okay," she said with a grin. "What's going on?"  
  
So James ended up telling her the whole story, about Serena's crush, and Sirius not taking it serio- err, at face value, and now how Serena wouldn't leave Sirius alone.   
"...And now she won't stop bugging him," grumbled James, shaking his unruly bangs out of his eyes. "Remmie was right. She's a complete psycho!"  
Lily shook her head. "And where, praytell, do *I* fit into this, James?"  
"Well.... I thought you might want to help out," James said evasively.  
Lily gave him a piercing green glare. "Out with it."  
"Would you talk to Serena and see what her problem is?" James asked desperately.  
  
Lily just stared at him for a long time, making James feel really uncomfortable.  
"You want me to spy for you, then," she said finally.   
"Um, well, it's not really spying - I mean, I could talk to her but - you're a girl and all -"  
"Thanks for noticing." Lily said dryly.  
James flushed. "What I meant was, maybe you could be all sympathetic and stuff - get her to tell you what's wrong... or convince her to leave Siri alone - or introduce her to a new guy or something...."  
"You really are daft sometimes," Lily said. "That's impossible."  
"Um, okay..." James mumbled sheepishly. "It's okay if you don't want to do it. Thanks anyway."  
He got up to leave, but Lily stood too and grabbed his arm. "I didn't say I wasn't going to do it, James," she said.  
This was unexpected. James turned to her, amazed. "What?"  
"I said, okay," Lily said. "I'm always ready for a challenge, you know."  
James brightened. "Wow! Thanks, Lil," he said, relieved, and on an impulse, kissed her cheek before running upstairs.  
Lily blushed almost as red as her hair, and headed up up her own dorm. "What a nerd," she thought to herself.   
  
~June 29 - Hogwarts Entrance~  
  
James waited impatiently, wondering where Lily was. The carriages would be here at any minute. Where was Lily? He needed to talk to her, see what she had found out. He knew Serena would start bugging Sirius as soon as next term started; but maybe Lily had succeeded......  
Lily showed up just as the first carriages did, looking upset.   
"I'm sorry, James," she said. "It took me a few weeks to figure out how to argue my case... and our exams, I'm so sorry, I couldn't find out much."  
"It's okay," James said, holding up a hand to his friends, who were calling him to get in the carriage. "Did you find out anything?"  
"A little," Lily muttered, looking around warily. "Look, I can't tell you here - Serena's friends are right over there. I'll write to you over the summer, okay?"  
"Okay," James sighed. "Thanks, Lil."  
He climbed into the carriage with Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Life sure was getting complicated, he thought unhappily.  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Coming Soon : Year 4! James finds out what Serena's hiding, Remus gets a shock, and Sirius sinks deeper into denial. James seriously debates telling Lily about Remus' crush, and things get even more complicated when Snape shows up. Will it ever end??  
  
  
  
  
(A/N : I must thank all the voice actors and actresses from Sailor Moon! I got a pile of Sailor Moon CD's for Christmas, and all I've been doing since then (besides trying to beat the basilisk in the CoS game) is listening to the CD's and writing. Some of the songs provided excellent inspiration!)  



	4. Year 4 Trouble Starts With The Word 'L...

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... and once again I don't own Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn/Current Divination teacher..........  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Yay!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 4 - Trouble Starts With the Word "Love"  
  
~August 22, 1978 - The Potter House - 10:45 AM~  
  
-Dear James,  
Serena is angry, that's all I can get out of her. She's simply furious with Sirius; she's been going on and on about how he used her, then embarrassed her.... I've been keeping in touch with her, trying to get her to give it up. I don't know if she'll leave him alone or not. But I think she's planning some major revenge. All I can say is - I'm glad I'm not in Sirius' shoes.  
Take care,  
Lily -  
  
James reread Lily's letter, then pushed his sweaty bangs back from his forehead. With a sigh, he pulled some parchment and ink from his desk. He wanted to write to Lily - strictly just to thank her, of course! - and to Remus. Just to let him know that his sister was a ticking time bomb.  
He sighed again. This had*not* turned out to be a fun summer.  
  
~The Black House - 11:12 AM~  
  
Sirius was lying on his bed, playing with his long hair absentmindedly as he wrote in his journal.   
  
-I've been thinking a *lot* over the summer. Well, I've been thinking a lot whenever I'm home and not hanging around Jim and Remmie and Pete. But it sums up to a lot of thinking - more than I've done in the past - well, anyway, I think Jim might just have a point. As much as I hate to admit it, the daft sod was right. I'm in love with Remmie.  
God, it sounds so weird to me. I'm in love with Remmie? The idea scares me to death. Not because of him - I'm just terrified to think of what everyone else will think. Okay, I shouldn't be. But I'm only fourteen! Mum'll drop dead if she finds out I'm in love with a guy, especially *now*... What am I supposed to do? I guess there's only one thing - not let on to anyone. But... I want to tell Remmie..... But how will he react? I don't really picture him as the kind of guy who'd be thrilled if one of his best friends fell in love with him.... And the subject of his sister comes to mind. Who *knows* what's she's got in store for me. ....I just can't stand it.... -  
  
Just then, his sister Lyra barged in.   
"What *are* you doing?" she demanded, and Sirius snapped his journal closed.   
"Noting illegal," he scowled.  
Lyra laughed sarcastically. "Sure. And I'm the Queen."  
"Then let me crown you, your Majesty," Sirius snarled, shaking his fist at her. She just giggled and ruffled his hair. God, sometimes you really couldn't tell she was twenty-five.   
"Mum's been *calling* you," Lyra said, calming down. "She wants to talk to you."  
"Okay," sighed Sirius, getting up. "What did I do this time?"  
"I should know?" Lyra shrugged, and left.  
Sirius heaved a sigh that spoke of many, many talks with his parents (usually about the owls they received from Dumbledore whenever he did something wrong), and went downstairs.  
  
Brendan and Leyna Black were *not* a model couple when it came to housekeeping. Their house was usually very cluttered, and never mind the stacks of 'Daily Mails' and 'Daily Prophets' from five years ago. Leyna was a seamstress as Madame Malkin's, and Brendan was an engineer (how difficult that was to explain to his friends!), so they very rarely had time to help out. Also living in the house was Lyra (who would be getting married soon and LEAVING, much to Sirius' delight), his grandma, and his Aunt Kayleigh. Sirius often mused over his strange family - well, to him they were strange. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like if he was an only child... oh, how sweet *that* would be. Lyra was *NOT* very good at acting twenty-five.  
"You called, Mum?" Sirius asked, entering the rather messy living room. His mother was making a rather haphazard attempt to rehang the drapes, and his father was reading a piece of paper and frowning at it slightly.  
"We've been calling you for the past half hour," his father said sharply. "I want to talk to you."  
He waved a piece of paper in the air, and with a sinking heart Sirius recognized it as the poem he had written last week - dammit, he knew he had left it around, but he couldn't remember where. Not a very good poem, just something about werewolves - and love. Sirius gulped.  
But he was totally blown away by what happened next. Instead of exploding - or worse, asking a lot of questions, starting with "Do you know a werewolf?" and "Are you gay?" - his father smiled. "This is a pretty good poem," he said, and Sirius had to struggle to keep his jaw from hitting the ground.  
"Don't leave this just lying around," his father said, handing it to him. "Unless you want your sister reading it."  
Sirius shuddered at the thought, then mumbled, "Sure thing, Dad," before running back upstairs to hide the poem. He read it through, then hastily folded it and stuck it in the back of his journal. Never, never, ever would he let Remus read it.  
  
But how to tell Remus he loved him?.......  
  
~September 12 - the Great Hall~  
  
James yawned behind his hand, and Sirius shot him a look. "Didn't sleep well?"  
"Didn't sleep," James grumbled. "Pete kept me up all night. Had a really weird nightmare and couldn't go to sleep."  
"Well, at least *you* stayed up with me," Peter said darkly, glaring at Sirius and Remus.  
Sirius held up his hands. "Whoa, Nelly! If you're going to have nightmares, then have them at a decent hour when I'm awake."  
Remus shook his head and went back to his hated porridge. Sometimes Peter was.... strange.  
"Oh boy," James said sarcastically, looking over his schedule. "Divination first thing today."  
"Yippee," Sirius said bleakly. "I'm so tired of that crap."  
"Then you should have given it up," Remus said.  
"I would have if Mum wasn't so intent on having at least one Seer in the family," Sirius grumbled. "It was fine for my sister - 'I love Divination!' - Sometimes I wish Mum was a Seer so she'd see I'm not happy about telling fortunes."  
Remus shook his head again. He had barely taken another bite of porridge when Serena plopped down beside him. Sticking her nose in the air, she didn't respond to James' and Sirius' hellos.   
"Good morning, Remus, just thought I'd stop and say hello before going to meet - *my NEW BOYFRIEND*...."  
Remus stared blankly at her. "New boyfriend?" This was the first he'd heard of it.  
"Yes, new boyfriend," Serena said airily, expertly ignoring Sirius and James, who were now sniggering behind their hands. "Bobby Bennett."  
James nearly choked on his bacon. "B-B-Bobby Bennett? The Hufflepuff Seeker?"  
"Yes, him," Serena said, sticking her nose further in the air and snatching a muffin. "I must be off, I'm going to meet him."  
Remus moaned. "What is *this*?! Bennett's a SIXTH year, for crying out loud! What is she playing at?"  
"Nothing, Remmie," Peter said. "Look." He pointed at the entrance to the Great Hall. Bobby Bennett had just walked in, and to Remus' horror, put his arm around Serena and kissed her cheek.  
Remus growled, getting to his feet. "I'll kill him! She's only TWELVE!"  
Sirius seized Remus by the back of his robes. "Remmie, you can't kill him," he said. "You'd get expelled - and I think Serena needs to see for herself that some people aren't so nice."  
Remus sat, and stared at Sirius. "You mean my sister deserves it - if she gets raped?"  
"No way!" Sirius said hastily. "You're taking me all wrong, Remmie. I don't want him to rape her - but she has to find out he's only using her for revenge."  
"What do you mean?" James asked curiously.  
"I hear tell Bennett's girlfriend broke up with him over the summer." Sirius said calmly, examining his fingernails.  
Peter's jaw dropped. "Not Janie Phipps."  
"Yes indeedy," Sirius replied. "And I think he's using *your* sister as bait to lure Janie back, Remmie."  
"That *bastard*!" snarled Remus, but Sirius pulled him back into his seat again.   
"Face it, honeychile, there's nothing you can do," he said. "Leave it be."  
"If he hurts Serena..." Remus growled, but went back to his breakfast.  
  
The bell rang for start of classes, and they headed off to Divination. Sirius couldn't help but mull over Remus' words at breakfast as they ran up dizzying staircases to get to the classroom. You had to admit, Remus was really devoted. As much as Sirius disliked Serena, it was sweet of Remus to be that protective...  
  
  
Maybe Divination was a little woolly (Sirius and James referred to Professor Tomoe as 'Professor Fraud', not too subtle there), but Remus was really enjoying it. He had thoroughly enjoyed last year's lessons (even though doing palmistry with Sirius made him feel weak-kneed and sweaty), and was excited when Professor Tomoe announced they would be studying the stars and planets, and their effect on personality and lifestyle. She started this first lesson by studying each person in turn and pointing out the qualities of each person's birth sign. Remus nearly jumped when she appeared at his side, smiling down at him.  
  
"Your light hair," she said, "And pale skin - light-colored eyes. All traits of the Moon - You're a Cancer, aren't you?" she asked him, and Remus nodded. "A reliable, responsible personality - and a deep devotion to only one person." Professor Tomoe told him. "Honorable traits, Mr. Lupin."  
She turned to Sirius next, who gave her a saucy grin (which she ignored). "Mr. Black..." she said dreamily. "Named after the Dog Star - be proud of that." ("Woof," Sirius whispered.) "Dark hair, dark eyes - high stature, and medium skin - and a reserved personality... I expect you don't admit to much, do you?" she asked him.   
"D'you mean if I did something wrong?" Sirius asked innocently.  
"No, dear," Professor Tomoe said, ignoring the class' giggles. "I mean your secrets."  
Sirius shrugged. "I don't think I have any."  
Professor Tomoe made an annoyed noise. "I'm right in saying you were born in late winter?"  
"January 30," Sirius replied.   
"Aquarius! Guarded by the planet Uranus!"  
Sirius made a face. "Oh, ick." he muttered to the others as Professor Tomoe started analyzing Sally Parks. "The planet with the grossest name, and I'm stuck with it."  
Sally Parks was a Cancer like Remus, and Professor Tomoe announced at the news, "In case you were wondering -" she sniggered - "Aquarius and Cancer are very compatible signs when it comes to a romantic relationship... not to give anyone ideas, of course," she added hastily, then went on to analyze John Smith.  
  
Remus lowered his gaze to his copy of 'Unfogging the Future'. Cancer..... and Aquarius?.......  
  
Sirius pretended to blush when Sally Parks gave him a coy look, and looked away. Aquarius... and Cancer.....   
  
~September 30 - 10:00 PM - Fourth Year Boys' Dorm~  
  
"I'll never be able to do this!" Peter mumbled, reading over the steps to the Animagi transformation. "Only geniuses could do this."  
"Buck up, Pete, and don't sell yourself short," James said. "You'll do it just fine. Siri and I will still keep helping you. And just think - becoming an Animagus is the most difficult piece of Transfiguration there is! After this, McGonagall's classes will be a breeze."  
"Yeah, I guess," Peter said. "But why do we always practice so *late* at night? I'm tired!"  
"Because practicing anytime else would get us expelled," Sirius said mildly.  
Peter squeaked. "Oh, right."  
Remus shook his head and continued thumbing through his copy of 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' to find the section on Mandrakes. Sirius, however, closed his book and sat up.   
"I wonder," he said dreamily, "what else we can do as Animagi."  
"What do you mean?" Remus asked warily.  
"We can go exploring!" said Sirius.   
James' eyes widened. "Hell, yeah! And run all over Hogsmeade!"  
"Sneak into Honeydukes' for sweets," Sirius grinned.  
"Swim in the lake without getting into trouble...."  
"Chase Snape when he tries to sneak out of the school for a romantic walk with Lucius..."  
"Siri!" Remus interrupted. "Please! I don't want to think about it!"  
"Yeah, it *is* a disgusting idea," Sirius admitted. "Can you imagine the two of them - mmmph!"  
James had covered Sirius' mouth with his hand. "Siri, *please*, I don't want to think of it either. Now be a good boy and do your homework!"  
"All righty then," Sirius agreed cheerfully, and reopened 'Unfogging the Future'. "Write an essay on your birth planet's influence on your personality," he read out loud, and groaned. "Stupid thing."  
Remus giggled. "Should have tackled *that* earlier, while Divination was fresh in your mind," he teased.   
Sirius shrugged. "Well, it's not due until next week. So -" he closed his book "-I'll do it later."  
"Always the procrastinator,"James laughed.  
Sirius stuck his tongue out at him, and instead pulled out his journal. After checking to make sure his poem was hidden inside, he began to write.   
  
-Sometimes Pete really gets me... I mean, Remmie's already scared to death that we'll get caught and get in trouble, and worried sick we'll screw it up and be stuck as half-human, half-animals forever. I don't think it helps to have Pete complaining and whining every second of the day. If I was Remmie, I'd be all hurt and pissed that he doesn't even want to risk a little for me.   
I wonder what animal I'll become. I wanted to be a wolf, but now I don't think that's such a great idea. I'm not sure how Remmie would react to having another wolf around. And I really don't think I want to find out. -  
  
He glanced up from his writing and glanced quickly around the dorm. James was reading his notes, his brow furrowed slightly. Peter was scribbling away at a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. And Remus (who had finished his own homework ages ago, no surprise there) had his nose stuck in a thick, heavy book. 'How could one person read that much?' Sirius wondered, gazing at Remus. 'It's no wonder I'm in love with him,' he thought, 'He's beautiful.'  
Remus was beautiful, whether he knew it or not (and Sirius suspected he didn't). Sometimes Sirius dreamed about him, his honey eyes twinkling with laughter, always holding a book in one hand and offering a shy smile.   
  
-I'm going to tell him someday. I'm going to tell him how beautiful he is, and how much I love him. Someday. Hopefully soon..... -  
  
~October 19 - the Quidditch Field~  
  
"Think fast, Jim!" Sirius shouted, throwing golf balls as hard and as fast as he could in every direction. "Catch those Snitches! Beat those Slytherins! Go, go, go!"  
Remus and Peter howled with laughter, watching Sirius jump up and down in a spastic cheerleading routine. James had asked them to help him practice for Quidditch, and Sirius was rising to the request splendidly.   
"Go, Jim, go!" Sirius shouted, throwing another golf ball past the Seeker. "You can do it! Give me a J! Give me an I! Give me a M! What's that spell? Jim, Jim, Jim!" He pretended to wave pompoms in the air and kicked his legs in the air, Rockette-style.   
"Stop! S-S-Siri, please stop!" Remus cried, holding his sides and wiping tears from his eyes. "Please! Before Pete and I rupture ourselves!"  
"He's right, Siri!" James called from overhead. "You're making *me* laugh so hard I can't catch the golf balls."  
"Genius ain't appreciated," Sirius pouted, but stopped jumping. "Wow. All that jumping makes my legs hurt."  
He collapsed on the bench next to Remus. "Your turn," he said sweetly, holding out the bag of golf balls. Remus sighed. He was terrible at throwing. But he took the bag and got up.  
"Ready for some really easy ones, Jim?" he asked, resigned to his fate.  
James laughed. "You're not that bad, Remmie. Come on, throw me some!"  
So, poor Remus tried to throw as far as he could for a while. None of the balls made it very far before James caught them.  
"Remmie," sighed Sirius, coming over and resting a hand on Remus' shoulder, "I'm going to get you a coach for Christmas."  
"No thanks," Remus said, wrinkling his nose and handing Peter the golf balls. "There's more to life than sports."  
"What did you say?!" James asked in disbelief. "There *is*?! Can't be!" He gurgled and pretended to fall off his broom.   
Remus glared at him. "Well, there is. I mean, you don't get to be Minister of Magic just because you know every obscure Quidditch record in existence."  
"I'm kidding, Remmie," James said, rolling his eyes.  
"It's getting dark," Peter spoke up. "Don't you think we should go inside?"  
"Yeah, you're right," James said, glancing at the darkening sky. "It'll be too dark to see, anyway."  
They picked up the golf balls, put James' broom away in the broomshed, and headed up to the castle.  
"Might as well get started on that Divination essay," Sirius mumbled as they climbed through the portrait hole. Remus gasped at his words, and the other three Marauders looked at him curiously.   
"Siri always puts his work off to the last minute," James said. "What's so shocking about that, Remmie?"  
"No, it's just I forgot something in Professor Tomoe's room the other day," Remus remembered, beginning to worry. He had left his journal there - oh, dammit, how could he have been so stupid? "I should go back and get it."  
"You'll get caught," Peter fretted. "Wait until tomorrow!"  
"No, it's - really important," Remus said. "I'll go get it now."  
"I'll come with you!" Sirius volunteered. This was perfect. He could get Remus somewhere on the way back and talk to him!  
"Okay," Remus said, looking more worried. "Let's go."  
They climbed back out of the portrait hole, ignoring the Fat Lady, who was quite disgruntled to be bothered twice in two minutes, and hurried up to the tower where the Divination room was.  
  
Remus climbed cautiously up the purple ladder and into the Divination classroom, while Sirius stayed down below to keep a lookout for Filch.   
"Professor Tomoe?" he called. "Um - I hate to bother you - but um - if you're here - I need to ask you something..."  
"Good evening, my dear," Professor Tomoe murmured from behind him, nearly making him jump out of his skin. "What is it you'd like to ask me?"  
"Well, uh, I kind of - left something here the other day," Remus said hesitantly. "I wanted to ask if you'd found it.."  
Professor Tomoe smiled. "I did indeed, my dear," she said, gliding over to her desk and opening a drawer. She rummaged around in it for a minute, then pulled out the leather-bound notebook which served as Remus' journal. "Is this what you're looking for?"  
"Yes," Remus said gratefully as she handed it to him. "Thanks so much, Professor."  
"You're welcome, dear. Goodnight," Professor Tomoe said, then went into her office.  
  
Remus hurried down the ladder to where Sirius stood, leaning against the wall and sucking on a Sugar Quill.   
"We came back for a *notebook*?" Sirius asked, sounding amused. "Sounds like you, Remmie, getting all panicked over losing homework."  
"Shut up," Remus grumbled, punching him in the arm, feeling relieved at having his journal back. "Let's get back to the common room, in a hurry."  
"Sure," said Sirius. "Come on."  
He meant to pull Remus off someplace private where they could talk - but they had only gone down one hallway when Peeves the poltergeist swept out of an empty classroom. He squealed at the sight of them.  
"Well, if it isn't Black and Lupin!" he crowed. "Out of your common room after hours! Should tell Filch, I should!"  
"Oh, please don't, Peeves, you'll get us in trouble!" Remus begged.  
Peeves flipped over in midair and grinned wickedly. "What are you doing up this late? If you tells me, maybe I won't say anything to Filch."  
"Get out of the way, you damned poltergeist," Sirius snarled, irritated at having his plans interrupted. "It's none of your business!"  
Peeves stopped to consider this. There was something about the smile on his face that Remus and Sirius didn't like.  
  
Well, they were right not to trust him - because Peeves suddenly yelled, "FILCH! STUDENTS OUT OF BED! COME GET 'EM!"  
"Damn!" Sirius hissed, grabbing Remus by the arm and pulling him down the hall. If only he could get down to the kitchens in time to hide! Why hadn't they brought James' Invisibility Cloak?!  
"Don't pull so hard," Remus panted from behind him. "Siri, where are we *going*?!"  
"I don't know," Sirius confessed, but he didn't stop running, and he didn't let go of Remus' arm. They raced down another flight of stairs and found themselves on the fourth floor, across from a huge mirror. As they ran past it, Sirius stumbled. He reached out with his free hand, groping for something to steady himself before he and Remus ended up face-first on the floor. His hand hit the mirror, and to his surprise, it swung open.  
He *did* fall, and Remus landed on top of him. "Ooof!" Remus gasped. "Siri, what is it?"  
"In - HERE!" Sirius whispered, crawling into the entrance made by the open mirror. Remus' jaw dropped, but he snatched up his journal and crawled in after Sirius. The mirror closed behind them, and not a moment too soon. Filch's wheezing breath and shuffling footsteps came around the corner a minute later.  
"Where *are* they?" They heard him snarl. "That Black again - him and Potter, the worst troublemakers I've seen in a while - I'll get him, by grab." They tensed, knowing Filch knew every secret passage in the castle, but to their surprise, he didn't try to enter. Remus relaxed, and pressed his ear to the back of the mirror.   
"I think he's gone," he said. "Come on, let's go.... Sirius?"  
Sirius was leaning forward, looking at something. "I think this is a tunnel," he said. "Lumos!"  
In the light which bloomed at the tip of Sirius' wand, Remus could see that it was indeed a tunnel. "Lumos!" he said to his own wand, and they were able to see better.  
The tunnel was very damp and cobwebby, and it sloped downhill. Sirius glanced at Remus, and gave him the mischievous look Remus was so used to. "Want to explore?"  
"I'm with you. Do I have a choice?" Remus teased, and Sirius grinned.   
  
The tunnel was really long, and it felt like an hour before they reached a staircase at the end of the tunnel. They began to climb, the spiral staircase making them dizzy as they got higher and higher up.  
"Ow!" Sirius said after about fifteen minutes of climbing.   
"What?" Remus whispered.  
"I hit my head on something. Ouch. I think - it's a tree root."  
"A tree root?"  
"Yeah, I think so."  
Sirius felt along carefully. "Weird - it feels like a trapdoor - only it's covered with roots. I think it's grown over. Here, give me a hand."  
Remus put his journal in his pocket, then cautiously climbed onto the top step. He put his shoulder to the trapdoor, and Sirius nodded.  
"Okay - on the count of three, One - two - THREE!"  
  
They pushed as hard as they could, and the door flew open with a rusty screech and a shower of dirt, grass, and broken roots. Sirius and Remus waited in silence to see if anyone came running. When no one did, Sirius climbed out of the trapdoor. Remus waited until he heard Sirius say softly, "It's okay, no one's around."  
He heaved himself up and found himself in what appeared to be a hollowed-out tree. He squeezed through the small hole in the tree's trunk, and stood.  
He and Sirius were standing in a clearing in a forest. In the distance, between the trees, he could see a faint glimmer of lights.  
"Where are we?" he asked Sirius.  
Sirius shrugged. "I dunno. Come on, let's see."  
A path lead from the clearing and seemed to be heading for the lights in the distance. Sirius and Remus followed the path for about ten minutes. The trees grew less and less dense as they walked, and then opened out onto a hilltop. Below them was a sea of lights - a village. Sirius started to laugh.  
"Remmie - I can't believe it - that's Hogsmeade!" he said.  
"Oh, wow," Remus gasped. Without thinking, he reached out and grasped Sirius' hand, then winced. What was he thinking?  
But Sirius didn't seem to mind. He gave Remus' hand a gentle squeeze, still looking down at Hogsmeade. "Too cool. We'll have to tell Jim and Pete about this."  
"I think we'd better get back," Remus said nervously. "Before Filch finds out about that passage."  
"Okay," Sirius said. He started back down the path, still holding Remus' hand. Remus gave Sirius' hand a timid squeeze, and was awarded with a smile. He was over his initial nervousness, and he was rather enjoying holding Sirius' hand - something that had only happened in his fantasies (and nothing further than that - the idea of what might come later always made him blush, and he'd reroute his thoughts quickly). They reached the tree and climbed down the winding staircase, hurried up the passage (taking longer this time, since they now had to go uphill). After a quick rest at the top of the passage, they peeked around the mirror. Neither Filch nor Peeves was in sight, so they slipped back into the hallway and ran up to the seventh floor.  
  
The Fat Lady gave them a curious look. "Out for a stroll?" she asked them, taking in their clasped hands.  
Remus and Sirius blushed simultaneously, and let go. "I just had to find something I dropped," Remus said shyly. "Turnip Pasty."  
The Fat Lady swung open, and they clambered through the portrait hole into a deserted common room. They hurried up to their dorm, where James and Peter were waiting.  
  
"You've been gone hours!" James said as they entered. "What took you so long?" He tried to hide his glee at their mussed hair and sweaty faces. Hopefully they'd been up to more than just fetching whatever Remus had lost.  
"We almost had a run-in with Filch," Sirius said. "And get this - we found a secret passage that leads to Hogsmeade!"  
James and Peter leaned forward, all ears. Sirius told the story in great detail (Remus adding things now and then), but leaving out the hand-holding.   
"Interesting," James said, his eyes sparkling. "Sounds like we've got a way to sneak out and have fun some nights."  
  
Remus and Peter climbed into their beds soon afterwards and fell asleep almost instantly. James gave Sirius a coy look as they put on their pj's. "Anything else happen that you'd care to tell, Black?"   
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You mean the savage wild animal love Remmie and I made in the woods?" he asked dryly, and whapped James over the head with a pillow. "You're weird, Jim. We told you everything that happened."  
James laughed, getting into his bed and pulling the hangings closed. He pulled the blankets up to his chin and smiled to himself. Sirius could joke about it all he wanted - but James was sure something had happened between Sirius and Remus on their little adventure.  
  
Sirius was almost asleep when he remembered his resolution to talk to Remus. Dammit! Why hadn't he done it tonight? Being chased by Filch, finding the secret passage, and holding Remus' hand had driven it straight out of his mind. D'oh. He'd have to remember to try again tomorrow night. He closed his eyes, went to sleep, and promptly forgot about it again.  
  
~November 6 - Hogsmeade~  
  
"Ooof!" James muttered. "Watch it, Pete!"  
"Shh!" Remus hissed.  
"That was my arm!" Peter yelped.  
"Gerroff, Jim!" Sirius grumbled.   
The Marauders were trying to climb through the trapdoor leading into the hollow tree. Most unfortunately, the top step was not wide enough to hold four teenage boys.   
"Come on, Pete," Sirius gasped, trying to give Peter a push up. "Get *up* there!  
It was a tight squeeze for Peter, but he managed to pull himself through the trapdoor and out of the tree. James followed, then Remus, then Sirius.  
The fresh air in the woods was a relief after the stuffy air in the tunnel. Sirius closed the trapdoor behind them and they headed off to Hogsmeade.  
"Where to?" James asked cheerfully as they came out of the woods.   
"How about the Three Broomsticks?" Remus asked, shivering slightly. "It's cold out here."  
The others agreed, and they entered, a tad nervous at being found out.  
But they needn't have worried. There were a few older Hogwarts students scattered though the crowd (not to mention a few teachers), so Remus and Peter set off to find an empty table while James and Sirius went up to the bar to get the drinks.  
The landlady, Madame Rosmerta, finished serving a pair of goblins and turned to James and Sirius. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black!" she said, smiling warmly. "How can I help you tonight?"  
"Run away with me, my dear," Sirius said dreamily, batting his eyelashes at her. "I may only be fourteen, but I will show you that even a fourteen-year-old can be a *man*."  
Madame Rosmerta giggled, blushing beet red. "Go on, you kidder!" she chuckled, waving a hand at him. "You're much too young for me."  
"Just four butterbeers, then," Sirius pouted, and Madame Rosmerta laughed again.  
"Such a kidder," she chuckled, drawing four butterbeers and handing them to James and Sirius. "Your mouth will get you in trouble one of these days, Mr. Black."  
"She's right, I expect," James teased as they headed off to join Peter and Remus. "You'll say the wrong thing to the wrong person and - BAM!"  
"Ah, shut up," Sirius said cheerfully, handing a butterbeer to Remus.  
James took a sip of his drink, but paused when he saw Lily Evans enter with a few of her friends. "I'll be right back," he said abruptly, and squeezed through the crowd to the table Lily had just sat down at.   
  
"Hi, James," Lily said as he sat down. "What's up?'  
"Two things," James muttered. "The first thing I can't tell you here. When we get back to the common room, can we talk?"  
"Sure," Lily said, amused. "And what's the second thing?"  
"What's this stuff I hear about Remus' sister and Bobby Bennett?" James asked suspiciously.  
Lily waved a hand. "Tell Remus not to worry. From what Serena's told me, and from what I can see for myself, Bobby's as safe as houses. I know everyone thinks he's using Serena to get his old girlfriend back, but I don't think so. He's not like that."  
"Okay," said James, getting up. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"  
  
~November 7 - 12:30 AM~  
  
The common room had cleared out, and James and Lily were finally alone.   
"What did you need to talk to me about, James?" Lily asked as they sat down in front of the fire. No need to beat around the bush.   
"I think Remmie is in love," he said.  
Lily smiled. "Who's the lucky girl?"  
James gulped. "S-Sirius." What would she say to that?  
Lily's eyes widened, and so did her smile. "Really? That's so sweet!"  
James stared. "You think so?" "Of course I do. Don't you?"  
"Forever," James said, relieved that Lily hadn't screamed or had a giggling fit. "But the problem is, he won't admit to it."  
"Does he know you're telling me?" Lily asked casually. James' scalp prickled. Sometimes Lily had an eerie way of knowing what was going on.  
"No.... Don't say anything to anyone!" he warned her.  
"I promise to keep it much more secret than you did," she smirked. "So how do we propose to solve this?"  
"We've got to get them off by themselves a lot more often," James said thoughtfully. "I know Remmie wants to talk to Siri, but he keeps chickening out."  
"We could try to do it today!" Lily suggested. "We could kind of suggest things to them.... I dunno, notes or something in History of Magic..."  
"But you're not supposed to know what's going on!" James protested.   
Lily waved a hand. "You forget, James, I am a master at this sort of thing," she said, smiling. "Remus and I talk a lot, about homework and stuff, and I notice the way he acts around Sirius. I'll just mention a bit of that in the notes. And I think you'd better handle Sirius - he's your best friend and all..."  
"Good idea, Lil," James said, astounded. "I never thought you could be so sneaky."  
Lily giggled. "I'll take that as a complement. Goodnight, James."  
  
~November 7 - 9:00 AM - History of Magic~  
  
Remus was dozing. He had his eyes open, and he could hear Professor Binns' droning voice, but the words made no sense to him. They went in one ear and out the other. Everyone else in the class was in a coma-like trance, not paying any attention to Binns' boring lecture on goblin rebellions.  
Suddenly something slid under his elbow, and Remus jerked awake. Lily Evans, who was sitting beside him, gave him a wink, and Remus realized she had slipped a note to him. Odd. Very un-Lily-like behavior. Unless, of course, she was always slipping notes to her friends in other classes.  
He opened the note under the desk (an unnecessary precaution, seeing as Professor Binns never knew what was going on under his transparent nose - sometimes Remus wondered if Binns had died of boredom...). It read,  
  
-Remus, can I ask you something? What do you think of Sirius? -  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow, when scribbled, 'What do you mean?' on the paper and slipped it back to Lily. She wrote something and slipped it back.  
-I mean he's totally hot and you can't keep your eyes off him. You *like* him, don't you? -  
Remus gulped. Was he that transparent?   
-What's it to you?- he wrote.  
-I think you'd be perfect for him, you prat.-  
-Sure. And so would anyone else who'd look at him twice.-  
-Just answer me. Do you like him?-  
Remus hesitated, then nodded slightly at her. Lily smiled, then wrote something else.  
-Then talk to him tonight.-   
It couldn't be helped. Lily was right.  
"I'll try," he whispered.  
  
~1:00 PM - Transfiguration~  
  
Professor McGonagall had the class copying notes on Switching Spells off the board. Both James and Sirius had finished copying, and were waiting for the next set of notes to go up. While they waited, James poked Sirius in the ribs and handed him a note. Sirius opened it.  
-Siri, give it up! I swear, you're too stubborn.-  
-Cut to the chase, Jim.- Sirius wrote.  
-You want to talk to Remmie, right? And you keep chickening out. And avoiding it. -  
-I am not! I just keep forgetting. -  
-Well, I'm not going to let you forget this time. You're talking to him tonight if I have to lock the both of you in a broom closet.-  
  
Sirius sighed. James was unstoppable when he had a bee in his bonnet. It was decided (decided *for* him, he thought bitterly). He'd have to talk to Remus tonight.  
  
~That Night - 9:30 - Gryffindor Common Room~  
  
Well, getting Remus alone to talk to him was not going to be easy. He was almost always absorbed in a huge, thick book, or his homework, and on top of that, the common room was filled to the brim. Sirius scowled. His whole life was at stake here! How was he supposed to get his potential mate-for-life alone to *tell* him anything?!  
He sat there, scowling harder. He tried to ignore James sitting nearby, sniggering, and Lily, who was sitting across the room, peeking over the edge of her book and smiling at the look on his face. She knew something, didn't she?  
James got up and walked over to Sirius.  
"Siri," he muttered into his friend's ear, "If you want to talk to Remmie so *bad*, just go and ask him."  
"I can't talk to him," Sirius grumbled. "We're sitting in the middle of a huge *BLOODY* mess of people."  
"You could up in the Astronomy Tower," James suggested, and his grin widened when Sirius whipped around in his seat to stare at him.   
"Brilliant, Jim," he said, slapping himself in the forehead. "I don't know why I didn't think of it myself."  
"You'll need some help," James said thoughtfully. Before Sirius could ask what he meant, he tore off to their dorm. Puzzled, Sirius waited. James came back with nothing in his hands, but he kept one hand over the pocket of his robes. When he reached Sirius, he slipped the something out from his pocket and slipped it into Sirius' hands. It was the Invisibility Cloak.  
  
"Thanks, Jim," Sirius said gratefully, hiding the cloak in his robes and getting up.  
  
Remus was reading 'Spells, Curses, and Counter-Curses For All Occasions' when a timid voice asked, "Can we talk, Remmie?"  
Sirius' voice made him jump - and no wonder. Since when had Sirius Black ever been timid?  
Remus smiled up at his friend. "Sure, Siri. Have a seat."  
Sirius shook his head. "Can we go - up to the Astronomy Tower?" he asked quietly. "This is - sort of private."  
"Um, sure," Remus replied, a little taken aback. What was with Sirius? Usually he and James were out in the middle of things, being loud and at the center of attention. It wasn't like him to be so secretive and quiet. He followed Sirius out of the portrait hole and all the way to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Once or twice he tried to get Sirius' attention, but only got a quick shake of the head in return.   
  
They reached the top of the tower, and emerged out on its balcony under the stars.  
"What-did-you-want-to-ask-me?" Remus panted. Seven flights up and running all the way had given him a stitch in his side.   
Sirius was still silent, looking up at the sky. Remus took advantage of his silence, massaging his ribs. Just as he was going to repeat his question, Sirius spoke.  
  
"That's my star," he said softly, gazing almost straight overhead. "Sirius...... the Dog Star."  
"That's nice," Remus said, beginning to get irritated. Sirius didn't need to bring him up here just to see his namesake - he could have pointed it out during Astronomy class or something.   
"It's close to the Moon," Sirius added softly.  
  
Remus stared at him, a strange feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. What did Sirius mean?  
  
"My gram named me," Sirius continued. "Mum couldn't decide on the perfect name for me. But Gram wanted to name me Sirius, after the brightest star in the sky. Mum and Dad say it's because I was their first son... but Gram says she knows I'm going to be the brightest star in the sky one day, for someone." He laughed ruefully. "I don't think she's right - I mean, there hasn't been a Seer in our family since my great-great-grandmother - and besides, how could Gram know if I'm even going to find someone to be with?"  
"Oh, Siri," Remus said softly, and took his hands in his. "Don't talk like that."  
Sirius shook his head. "Why not?It's true. I'm not exactly the guy everyone wants to marry."  
"Siri, what's wrong? " Remus asked, hesitating when he saw the look in Sirius' eyes.  
"Wrong?" Sirius asked softly. "I've been putting off something I shouldn't have been."  
  
And he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to Remus'.  
Remus' eyes widened, but then he relaxed, liking the shy way Sirius was kissing him. He hesitantly reached up to stroke Sirius' long hair. He paused, but then Siri murmured, "No, Remmie, go ahead.."  
The feel of Sirius' lips moving against his own as he spoke nearly made Remus pass out. He kissed Sirius back more firmly and entwined his fingers in Sirius' silky hair. It was so straight and soft, absolutely tangle-free, and flowed through his fingers like water.  
Sirius opened his eyes just a little to look at Remus. He nearly pulled back in surprise - Remus was utterly, inexpressibly beautiful. This was wonderful, this was what he wanted.... to kiss Remus under the stars, to hold him forever... He slowly pulled Remus into his arms, holding him tightly. They broke the kiss and looked into each other's eyes, surprised and a little afraid.  
"Sirius?" Remus whispered. "You've never said anything... and all this time?...."  
Sirius closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry...."  
"Don't be.... How did you know?" Remus asked him.  
"Know?" Sirius asked.  
"That... I... like you," Remus answered, blushing.  
"I didn't," Sirius murmured. "But I .... like you too."  
  
They stayed motionless and silent for a long time, thinking. Remus rested his head against Sirius' chest and let out a content sigh.   
"You know," he murmured, "I think I know who to blame for this."  
"Jim and Lil," Sirius chuckled. "They know too much sometimes."  
"I don't know whether I want to hug them or curse them," Remus said with a smile.   
"Curse them?"  
"Lil says she figured this all out herself - but I think she's had a bit of help from Jim. That jerk, he promised not to tell anyone."  
Sirius laughed, then looked down at Remus. "Remmie?"  
"Mmm?"  
"D'you wanna stay up her for a bit? If you wanna go back to the common room, I'll understand, but I thought you'd want to sit up here with me for a bit and.. I dunno, look at the stars or something."  
"I thought you'd never ask," Remus smiled, and leaned up to kiss Sirius again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Much later, they made their way back to the common room, thankfully not meeting up with Peeves or Filch. When they entered, it was to find James and Lily in a frenzy of excitement. When she saw Remus and Sirius holding hands, Lily squealed and actually toppled out of her chair. So did Peter - but probably for an entirely different reason, Remus reflected.  
  
"It's about time, you dense moron," James said to Sirius, who shot him an evil glare and stuck out his tongue.   
"I'm right in guessing you had a hand in this as well, Lil?" Remus asked dryly, and Lily giggled madly from her spot on the floor.   
"Yes, I did," she replied, flushing bright pink and trying to suppress more giggles. "What about it?"  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "A conspiracy against us! I have a mind to make you all watch me and Remmie snog on the couch!"  
"Yes, please!" Lily giggled, and collapsed again.  
Remus couldn't help but laugh too. He rather enjoyed being friends with a pack of weirdos.  
  
~Remus' Journal - November 14~  
  
-Well, it's finally happened! I have Siri all to myself now, and I've had him all to myself for the past week. I'm so happy! Oh, I sound like a nutty girl. I guess that can't be helped, because I feel so good! I thought it would take forever to get Siri.... Oh, okay, I haven't confessed to him the whole range of my emotions for him.. I've never even said 'I love you' to him. But this is still new to me! And half the time we're together, talking is the last thing on our minds - heh - snogging is much more fun. Okay, we *did* get in trouble with McGonagall for holding hands during her class, but McGonagall's an old biddy. Haha.-   
  
~December 1 - Gryffindor common room~  
  
"Describe the advantages and disadvantages of animal - human Switching Spells," Remus read out loud, lazily twirling a strand of Sirius' hair around his finger.  
"Advantage : you could swim underwater as long as you wanted if you had a shark's head," Sirius said. "Disadvantage : it'd be hard to sit down if you had a shark's tail."  
James shook his head even as he laughed. "Come on, Siri, McGonagall won't take that."  
"But he's got a point," Lily added. Lily had been hanging out with the Marauders quite often lately - not that they minded. It was fun to badger her for answers on their homework. Not to mention James always got a funny, dizzy feeling in his stomach when he looked at her.   
Sirius shrugged, holding up one had to admire his fingernails, which he was currently painting - what else? - black. "You can't argue with logic. You *couldn't* have an easy time of sitting when you've got a tail in the way."  
"Please don't tell me you're going to give Snape a shark's tail," Remus said, looking pained. Sirius grinned.  
"That hadn't occurred to me, Remmie! Thanks for the idea!"  
"He'd be better off with the head of a chipmunk," Lily giggled.  
"Too bad I'd get expelled for that," Sirius mumbled, finishing the last nail and blowing on his hands to dry the polish.  
"What *are* you doing down there, anyway?" Peter asked him, frowning.  
"I don't want to know," James said, pretending to shudder, and laughed when Sirius punched him in the leg. "I was kidding, you dope."  
"I don't do that sort of thing in public... without proper motivation." Sirius said cheekily, making Lily giggle and Remus blush. He held his hand up over the edge of the table. "I'm painting my nails, Pete."  
"Why?"  
"Why not?"  
"I thought only girls wore makeup."  
"Welcome to the 70's, Pete," Sirius said, getting up. "Even boys wear makeup sometime. You should try it."  
"No, thanks," Peter gulped, going back to his work.  
"Have it your way, then," Sirius said, shrugging.   
  
"Lily! LIL-EEEE!!" a shrill voice called across the common room, making them all wince. Debbie Johnson, a tall, blond-haired friend of Lily's was gesturing to her furiously. "COME-EEEAH!" (A/N: It's how we say 'come here' in Rhode Island. heh.)  
"Coming, Deb!" Lily said, putting down her quill. "Guard my work for me, I'll be back in a sec," she said to the guys.   
"Yes, MA'AM!" Sirius said, snapping her a quick salute. She giggled and left, shaking her head.  
As soon as Lily had joined Debbie, James leaned closer to his friends. "Who's up for another adventure pretty soon?" he asked, his eyes alight with mischief.  
"You know I am," Sirius said, the twinkle in his eyes identical to the one in James'. It was times like this, Remus reflected, when you really *did* think Sirius and James were brothers.  
"Me too," he said. Anyplace Sirius was going sounded good to him.  
"Me three," Peter said. "Where to?"  
"The... Restricted Section!" James said dramatically.  
"What for?" Peter wanted to know.  
"Easy, Pete. It's the only place to go to find books that'll help us with the Animagi transformation. I bet we can get some stuff from there that'll make it a lot easier - and maybe we can pick up a few new curses to try out on Snape."  
"Brilliant, Jim!" Sirius muttered. "D'you think the cloak's big enough to hide the lot of us?"  
"Yeah, I think it'll work," James said. "Maybe it wouldn't be amiss to look up some Invisibility Charms while we're there."  
They cut off their planning just then, because Lily came back.  
"What are you all talking so seriously about?" she asked.  
"Nothing, really...." James lied. "Now what's the answer to this Switching Spells thing?"  
  
~December 10 - 1:00 AM~  
  
"Shh!" James hissed.  
The Marauders came to a halt just outside the library door, stepping on each other's feet and crashing into one another. It was very cramped under the cloak.  
Filch stalked past, looking grouchier than usual, grumbling something about 'students might be out of bed...'. They waited, holding their breaths until he passed. James carefully eased the door open so it wouldn't squeak, and they ducked inside.  
Once the door was shut behind them, they pulled off the cloak. "Phew!" Peter whispered. "Fresh air!"  
"Are you implying I stink, Pete?" Sirius demanded. "Because *you* smell like cheese."  
"I had a limburger sandwich for a snack!" Peter protested.  
"So *that's* what I was smelling all the way here," James said in disbelief. "We're lucky Filch didn't smell us out."  
Remus smothered a laugh behind his hand, then whispered, "Now what?"  
"Now we venture in," James said, climbing over the rope separating the Restricted Section from the rest of the books. Sirius, Remus, and Peter climbed over the rope and followed James down the middle aisle.  
It was very dark and spidery in here. The books had a dark, secretive look about them that Remus didn't like, and he reached for Sirius' hand. Sirius have his hand a reassuring squeeze, and stopped to study a shelf of books.  
"Oh, ew," Peter said from behind them. "This book looks like it's covered in blood."  
James pulled a heavy book off a shelf. "'Moste Potente Potions'," he read off the title. "Huh. Cool." He opened it and began to skim through it. "Wow, this stuff looks brutal."  
Sirius let go of Remus' hand and reached up to pull down an enormous red volume entitled 'The Time - Life Book of Magick and Spelles, Volume II'. He opened it cautiously, Remus standing on tiptoe to peer over his shoulder. When Sirius opened the book, several small spirits began to rise out of the title page.  
"Evil..." they whispered, making Remus' scalp prickle with fear. "Madness.... darkness..."  
"*Cool*!" Sirius exclaimed, slamming the book shut. From inside came many small squeals of pain from the spirits as the cover closed on them. Sirius began to giggle, and so did Remus. Sirius stuck 'The Time-Life Book of Magick and Spelles, Volume II' back on the shelf and wandered over to a counter, where James was now poring over a dusty, water-spotted book.   
"Find anything good, Jim?" Sirius asked, casually slipping an arm around Remus' waist. Remus blushed, very glad he was in almost total darkness.  
"Yes, if by 'good' you mean 'disturbing'," James answered. "Look at this, jeez. I didn't know it could get that bad!" He pointed at some rather nasty drawings that I won't describe here. Sirius, Remus, and Peter all winced.  
"But look at this," James continued, and began to read out loud. "'The Animagi transformation is one of the most complex Transfiguration spells' - duh, we already knew that - 'and requires a great amount of practice in Transfiguration. Once mastered, the spell can be performed at any time or any place, even without a wand. An Animagus form serves as an efficient disguise that can even fool dementors. Dementors cannot sense human emotions when the witch or wizard is transformed, and since they are blind, cannot see through the disguise.' Wow, groovy."  
"Now I see half the reasons they make you register and all," Sirius said. "So criminals don't go running around eluding capture." (Little does he know.)  
"Let me copy this down," James said, pulling a bent quill and a scrap of parchment from his pocket. For the next few minutes, there was silence, broken only by the the faint scratching of James' quill. Once he had finished, he carefully put the book back in its place on the shelf. "Come on, let's go."  
  
They put the cloak on before leaving the library, and all the way back to the seventh floor when Peter spoke up.  
"I'm hungry," he whispered. "Why don't we stop by the kitchens and get some snacks?"  
"Sure," Sirius whispered back. "Let's go."  
They crept carefully back to the suit of armor which masked the secret passage to the kitchens. After a furtive glance around to make sure the coast was clear, they pushed the suit of armor aside, took off the cloak, and crawled one by one through the hole.   
A while later, they reached the bottom of the staircase, only slightly out of breath (going down was always easier than going up). The door beside the fireplace slid open, and they were greeted by a group of smiling, bowing house-elves.   
"Hello, sirs!" Bubby squeaked. "Come for something to eat?"  
"Yes, please!" Peter said happily, and the house-elves wasted no time rounding up eclairs, cream cakes, doughnuts and miniature pies for them to bring back with them.  
  
"Excellent service, I wish we had a house-elf at home," Sirius said as they began climbing back up the secret staircase. "Half the time I can't even find the refrigerator 'cos our kitchen's so messy."  
"Doesn't your mum clean?" Remus asked, appalled.  
"Once in a while," Sirius said with a shrug. "When she remembers. My mum's flaky, trust me."  
"She's not that bad," James reassured Remus. "I've known her ever since I was born - well, duh - and she isn't as bad as Siri makes her seem."  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "At least she's not my dad."  
"Isn't your dad an engineer?" Peter asked, frowning.  
"Yeah," said Sirius, sighing. "He's always complaining. Wanted me to work for him, used to bring me to work with him when I was little... He was really disappointed when I got my Hogwarts letter...."  
"Well, I'm glad you did," Remus said softly, blushing. Before it could turn into a romantic moment that could possibly cause Peter to faint, James punched Sirius in the arm in an affectionate way. "That goes for me too," he said. "Imagine how I could torture you every summer when you got back from Engineer School."  
Sirius grumbled, ducking and crawling through the exit hole. The others followed, and they hurried up the hall, not bothering with the Invisibility Cloak (which was still hidden in James' robes). They were almost right outside the painting of the Fat Lady, so they really didn't need it.  
  
Or so they thought.  
  
The Fat Lady was in sight when a low voice growled, "Now I've got you," and Argus Filch leapt out of the shadows.  
Peter squeaked in fear, and the others jumped in surprise.   
"Sneaking round the school after hours," Filch sneered, an unpleasant grin surfacing on his face. "Well, we'll just see what this gets you..... come with me...."  
Not daring to look at one another, the Marauders meekly followed Filch to his first-floor office. It was quite a dingy, dark place, not at all pleasant. A set of manacles and chains hung on one wall. They looked very well-cared for. Remus averted his gaze from this unpleasant sight only to see row upon row of filing cabinets, which he supposed held files on every student Filch had ever punished.   
"Sit," Filch said, his eyes glinting dangerously.  
They sat. Filch pulled a wretched-looking black quill from a drawer, then began hunting through another drawer for a form, muttering to himself all the while.   
"Wandering round at night... breaking curfew... probably breaking into professors' offices.... I'll show you.... punish you good... I only wish I could hang you screaming from the ceiling..."  
He finally located a form, spread it on the desk, and began to scribble. "So, Potter, Black, not so smart, are you?" he leered, pausing in his writing. "I knew I'd catch you before long... thought you could fool me?"  
Even Sirius had the sense to stay quiet as Filch filled out the form and accused them of everything from sneaking out to trying to drain the lake. Peter was shaking like mad, and looked petrified. Remus wasn't exactly at ease himself. But Sirius and James wore rather bored expressions. Well, they were *used* to getting in trouble, Remus thought. He hated getting into trouble. It made his stomach hurt. Arguing with someone did that to him too. The world's queasiest werewolf. He actually almost giggled at the thought, but managed to keep a straight face.   
"Now for your *punishment*," Filch said, sounding delighted. Remus gulped.   
"I think I'll make you.... clean out the hippogriffs' paddock!" Filch said, sounding even happier. "That'll teach you!"  
A disgusting chore, but they'd probably end up serving their detention under the watch of Hagrid. That wasn't so bad. Hagrid was really a nice guy. And there *was* worse things than cleaning up after hippogriffs. Like flobberworms, for instance.  
  
Filch finally let them go, and they hurried upstairs. Once they reached the third floor, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.   
"We got off easy," he said. "It's fun serving detention with Hagrid."  
"We've done it before," James assured Remus and Peter. "Hagrid's great. And he isn't too fond of Filch."  
"It could be worse," Peter admitted, brightening. "We could be in detention with Professor Kirk."  
  
~December 17 - 8:00 PM~  
  
"Uck." Peter groaned, wrinkling his nose.   
"What have you been *feeding* them, Hagrid?" Sirius wanted to know, waving a hand in front of his face.  
"Ferrets, mice, small rodents, mos'ly," Hagrid said with a shrug, handing them all pitchforks.   
"Well, don't," James said. "This is gross." Nonetheless, he began pitching the dirty straw into a wagon. The others joined in, breathing through their mouths.  
"You know, my mum used to make me wear noseplugs when I was learning to swim," Sirius said. "Wish I had them with me now."  
James, Remus, and Peter sniggered. Hagrid smiled. "Yer right, Sirius, hippogriffs aren't the bes' smellin' creatures around. But yeh don' wanna insult 'em."  
"Point well taken," Remus said nervously, eying the sharp talons and horn of the hippogriffs, who were tethered outside.   
"Proud, they are," Hagrid continued. "That's why yeh gotta bow to 'em first."  
"And if they don't bow back?" Peter whimpered.  
"Then yeh run like mad."  
"How reassuring," Sirius mumbled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was nearly midnight when they finished helping Hagrid with the hippogriffs. They trudged up to the castle and straight up to Gryffindor Tower, exhausted.  
"I'm taking a shower," Sirius announced as soon as they entered the thankfully deserted common room. "I don't fancy going to bed smelling like a barnyard."  
Well, neither did everyone else. And so they rounded up towels and soap and traipsed off to the boys' room. (And any of you who think this is going to end up as an orgy in the shower - get your mind out of the gutter!)  
  
~January 13 - Potions~  
  
The holidays had been quite boring for Remus. He had gone home for Christmas, because his older brother Henri was visiting from France, where he lived. He was on the French International Quidditch team. After a day or two of listening to Henri's boring stories about meeting other Quidditch teams and endless training sessions, Remus was ready to go back to school. He missed Sirius. Oh, and James and Peter too. But he was bound and determined to tell Sirius *everything*, every feeling he had for him, and nothing held back. Not that his Christmas wasn't a good one. He liked being with his family, even if Henri was boring and Serena was sullen and moody. What was her problem? The closest Remus could figure was she was still hooked on Sirius. An impossibility. He could have sworn Bobby Bennett was the new guy in her life. Until today, when Lily and her friend Debbie came to work with them at their table in Potions.  
  
"Have you heard?" Debbie asked breathlessly. She was a nosy, gossipy girl who had none of the finesse Lily possessed when it came to spilling bad news.  
"About what?" Sirius asked, not looking up from measuring his powdered spine of lionfish.  
"Bobby Bennett and Janie Phipps!" Debbie said.  
Remus' head snapped up. "What?" he asked sharply. "Bobby and Janie?"  
"They've gotten back together," Lily said in a soft, apologetic voice, shooting a glance at Debbie.  
"That bastard." Remus growled. "And just what happened to my sister?"  
"I don't know," Debbie said, shooting an uneasy glance at Sirius.   
"Yes, you do," Remus insisted. He turned to Lily. "Lil, *what* is this all about?"  
Lily looked around, then leaned closer and beckoned for them all to lean in. "She, um..... is telling people... she's back with Sirius."  
"WHAT?!" Sirius yelped, going white and spilling his armadillo bile. Professor Kirk sent him a nasty glare, and Sirius quickly mopped up the mess, his face going from white to red.  
"That.... bit-" he began. but stopped when he looked at Remus. "That.. brat," he finished lamely, and sighed unhappily.  
"My own *sister* has been saying this?" Remus asked, his mouth going dry.  
Lily nodded, and Debbie shot a Look at Sirius. "You mean you're not with her?" she asked suspiciously.  
"Of course not!" Sirius hissed. In that moment, he looked angrier than Remus had ever seen him. "I haven't *touched* her! She's just a jealous bitch! Sorry, Remmie," he added, looking over at Remus.  
James growled. "Does she *ever* give up?"  
"It gets worse," Debbie said, looking smugly between Sirius and Remus. "Snape's been adding to the gossip pool."  
"Oh, God," Sirius moaned. "What *now*?"  
"Well, as far as he tells it, you and Remus are sleeping together," Debbie said nonchalantly.   
Sirius stared at her for several seconds, his jaw agape. Remus willed himself not to blush. Blushing would only add fuel to the fire.  
"He's a lying, slimy son-of-a-bitch." Sirius said, slowly and deliberately. "I am *not* sleeping with Remmie. He's just my friend."  
Remus winced. 'Friend'? That sounded so impersonal.   
The bell rang for the end of class, and Sirius was one of the first out. He snagged Snape and pulled him round to face him.  
  
"You bastard," Sirius growled, paying no heed to the students who had paused to watch. "What the *hell* are you spreading rumors about me and Remmie for, anyway?"  
Snape sneered. "Spreading rumors? I only tell facts. I've seen the two of you holding hands and lip-wrestling. He's your little boy-toy, isn't he?"  
"I ought to kill you," Sirius snarled, pinning Snape against the wall. "You jackass, you're nothing but a lying git."  
"Watch what you say, Black," Snape said coldly. "Someone could take that as a threat."  
"You ought to," Sirius hissed. "I'd give *anything* to see you dead."  
Snape smirked. "Dead? For telling the truth? I thought you'd want *everyone* to know you're in love with Lupin."  
Sirius slammed him up against the wall. "I - am - *NOT* - in - love - with - REMUS!" he shouted, before letting go of Snape and storming back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
The students who had been watching dispersed quickly, most likely to tell the rest of the school what had just happened. Remus stood stunned. Sirius didn't love him. Did that make the last few months a waste?  
  
~Remus' Journal - January 17~  
  
-I really should have known. Sirius doesn't love me. I feel really stupid for trusting him now. He apologized to me, and I forgave him, but I can see there's not going to be anything further than friendship between us. I never knew anything could hurt this much. I guess I really do love him... but I shouldn't bother myself with him any more. I'll just have to find someone else.-  
  
~February 2 - the Great Hall~  
  
Things were oddly formal between Sirius and Remus now. They were friendly to each other, and never refused to talk to one another or go someplace if the other was going to be there. But they never touched each other anymore. Not even to pass something in Potions - it was a tad heartbreaking to see how carefully they avoided even brushing fingertips. Peter didn't mind, because it meant no more awkward moments, but James was just... disappointed? mad? He couldn't find a word to describe it to himself. They had been so close - so CLOSE - and now this. Could it get any worse?  
They were at dinner now. James was picking at his Shepard's Pie, thinking. Remus was poking at his pie, too, but not because he was thinking. He just hated Shepard's Pie. He was startled out of his thoughts (he was trying to decide whether porridge or Shepard's Pie was the most disgusting food in the universe) by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to find himself face - to- face with Severus Snape.  
Sirius, James, and Peter pointedly ignored Snape, but Remus cautiously asked, "Yes, Severus?"  
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Snape asked, sounding awkward. "Outside?"  
"Um, all right," Remus said, bewildered. "I'll be back, okay?" he said to his friends.  
"Hurry up or you'll miss dessert," James said, avoiding looking at Snape as the desserts magically appeared on the tables. Chocolate ice cream, yum.  
  
Remus followed Snape curiously, wondering what was going on. Snape led him out of the Great Hall and down a dim, damp corridor which Remus had never been down. Then he stopped and turned to Remus.   
"Severus," Remus began, "What - "  
But he was cut off as Snape pressed his lips to Remus'. He pushed Remus back against the wall, holding him there, kissing him. Remus tried to push him away, but Snape held him firmly.   
  
"Hasn't Remmie gotten back from talking to Snape?" Sirius asked a few minutes later, looking round as he, James, and Peter left the Great Hall.  
"D'you mean Remus Lupin?" a passing Hufflepuff inquired. "He and Snape went down that way."   
"Why?" Sirius asked, confused. And without waiting for an answer, he ran down the hallway.  
What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks, and broke his heart.  
  
Remus was being kissed by Snape. And sweet Merlin, he seemed to be enjoying it.  
  
Sirius gasped, and ducked back around the corner. Tears welled in his eyes. Remmie? With *Snape*?   
He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and ran upstairs to Gryffindor Tower, ignoring Peter and James when they called out to him. He didn't stop running until he reached his own bed. Flinging himself down upon it, he wrenched the hangings closed and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the canopy. Remus was in love with Snape. Well, that explained the strange behavior. But *Snape*? Why Snape, of all people?   
"I wanted him to be mine," he whispered.  
The dormitory door opened. "Siri?" James asked.  
Sirius lay still, pretending to be asleep. After a few minutes, the door closed.   
"Remmie..." Sirius whispered, before closing his eyes and sinking into a troubled sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Get OFF, Snape!" Remus panted, pushing Snape away from him. "What do you think you're doing?!"  
"I'm in love with you, Lupin," Snape said softly, starting forward again. "Haven't you noticed?..."  
"NO!" Remus shouted. "Get away from me! You know I'm in love with Si-" He stopped, horrified that he had almost admitted his biggest secret to his greatest enemy. He pushed past Snape and ran upstairs to the tower. He ran as fast as he could, to escape what had just happened.... and to escape his own guilty feelings.  
  
~ Sirius' Journal - February 17~  
  
-I think I'm still in love with Remmie. Even if he *is* going out with Snape. This really sucks. He's decided I'm not worth it, and he's found someone else. Maybe I should do the same.... Forget Remmie as a potential life mate and go on.....-   
  
~April 3 - Gryffindor common room~  
  
Sirius had been bound and determined not to let Remus know that he had seen the 'little' kiss with Snape. It was hard to act normally around Remus, knowing he was in love with the most evil kid in the whole school. Heartbreaking, really. But he tried his best, and he thought he even had James fooled. Maybe not. James wasn't as dumb as he looked. But Sirius really didn't give a damn. By the time spring rolled around, he was tried. Exhausted, really. Tired of everything, tired of pretending, and tired of being alone. So now he was going to do something he had wanted to do since the end of February.  
  
He marched straight up to Lily Evans, who wasn't, thank God, surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd of friends as usual. "Lil?"  
"Hi, Siri," she said warmly, smiling at him. "What's on your mind?"  
"Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure. Have a seat."  
Sirius sat, and took a deep breath. "Would you....... would you like to visit Hogsmeade with me sometime?" he asked, blushing furiously and hating himself for it. Why, oh why did his blood vessels have to give him away?  
But Lily blushed even deeper than he did. "D'you mean, like, a - a date?"  
"Um, yeah," Sirius said, wishing mightily that he had never started this conversation.   
"Okay," Lily said, so softly that Sirius thought he must have misheard her.  
"What?" "I said okay," Lily said shyly. "I'd love to."  
Sirius smiled back just as shyly. "Then it's a date."  
  
~June 23~  
  
Serena Lupin scowled, watching Sirius as he flipped a giggling, blushing Lily over his shoulder and ran across the lawn with her, Lily beating his back with her fists and screaming with laughter at the same time. It really was true - Sirius and Lily had become a Couple; they had been dating since April. Serena supposed it had surprised everyone in the school - she never pictured Lily as liking bisexual rebels. By now it was just obvious to the student population of Hogwarts that Sirius - to put it nicely - wasn't too picky over who he was with.  
"That bastard," Serena muttered to Bunny Chikamatsu, who was also watching this sight with unbelieving eyes. "He dumps me, goes for my brother, sleeps with him, dumps Remus, and goes for Lily. Once he sleeps with her she'll be the next one to get dumped. He is a *bastard*. I truly hate him."  
"I'm not to thrilled with him either, sister," Bunny replied.  
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
James Potter had been taking a walk around the Quidditch field, biding it goodbye until next year. When he returned, he saw Sirius and Lily, now chasing each other across the front lawn. He scowled.  
"Well, you snooze, you lose, Jim old boy," whispered a voice in his head.  
"Shut up," James muttered, then looked around quickly to make sure no one heard him talking to himself.  
"Well, if you had gotten the guts to ask her out ages ago, you wouldn't be in this mess," the voice sneered.  
"Shut up," James muttered morosely. "She's not my type."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Severus Snape smirked widely, watching Black and Miss Evans chasing each other. He had done it. Finally. Broken the bond of love between Black and Lupin - just as he had intended. Now it was only a matter of time before Lupin came to his senses and realized how much better Snape was for him. And Snape could wait as long as he needed. He'd have Lupin all to himself before long, he was sure of it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Remus Lupin impatiently wiped a tear from his eye as he watched Sirius and Lily playing on the lawn far below. No use crying over spilt milk, he reminded himself. What's done is done. Sirius doesn't love me at all - he said so. He's in love with Lily. I shouldn't waste my time getting worked up about it. He's just a bloody prat... and I still love him.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Coming Soon : Year 5! James, Sirius, and Peter finally succeed in becoming Animagi! Secret passages get discovered! Sirius' relationship with Lily carries on! Remus gets angsty, James gets jealous, Snapey gets even *more* jealous, and Peter... well, pretty much stays Peter.   
  
  
  
  
(A/N : Wow! you say. That was fast! I updated pretty quickly, I know. I had this creative surge and a huge burst of ideas and inspiration! I just *had* to sit down and write! I dunno if Year 5 will come along this quickly. I really need to get my ass in gear on this, so I can finish it soon, because my parents are pressuring me to hurry up and get a job. And once I have one, God knows when I'll have time to write or even go online! AAAUUUGHH!!   
And yes, my chapters are getting longer. I need to space things out more, I think. But I've got soooo many ideas and so little time! Yoiks!)  
  
  



	5. Year 5 Success! In Some Things

Disclaimer: See the first chapter....  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! And who knows what else. Teenage boys and their hormones... I dunno if this will end up as an R. It definitely won't in this chapter. Besides, I've promised to tone this story down for my friend Maura who doesn't enjoy slash. But... you know.... teenage boys, love triangles, and Siri's language might make for an R later on. Tho I'm trying my best to keep my promise. Guys kiss in this chapter, so watch out!  
  
First Appearances: Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail! (Moony's been introduced already, but not by name.) And Remus' brother Guillaume. I like his name, don't you? Yes, I picture the Lupins as being French. So there :P  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 5 - Success!..... In Some Things  
  
~July 12, 1979 - the Potter house~  
  
"This is it, Jim," Sirius said, nearly trembling with excitement.   
"Now we know whether we've succeeded or screwed up things so bad that we'll be stuck with an animal's head forever," James said, equally excited. "The good thing being that if we do something wrong Pete'll hear about it and forget trying it himself."  
"He's nowhere near finished, if we get this right we'll have to help him for the rest of the summer...." Sirius said. "Ready?"  
"As I'll ever be."  
They raised their wands above their heads. Sirius took a deep breath. "On the count of three?"  
"Yeah - one.... two.... THREE!"  
Together, they chanted the spell, quickly yet carefully. Bluish-white light beamed from their wands and surrounded them. There was no pain, but only a strange, unusual feeling of metamorphosis.   
  
When the light cleared, brown eyes met midnight-blue ones. They couldn't speak, but each could read the joy in one another's eyes. It had worked. They were Animagi.  
  
~July 13 - the back garden of the Lupin home~  
  
Remus was idly swinging in the hammock out behind his house, a book lying open and unread on his stomach. He was bored. Bored and miserable. The events of the last few months at school played in his head almost constantly. 'This is called obsession, Remmie old chap,' he thought to himself more than once. 'Get over it. Sometimes Sirius is a s.o.b., and this is one of those times."  
Good advice, but he couldn't help the way his thoughts drifted to Sirius almost every minute of every day. Getting over it *would* be an excellent idea - Sirius didn't need an obsessed werewolf trailing him for the rest of his days. Shelve all of your dreams and fantasies, laddie, it's not happening. Not for all the Galleons in the world.  
  
"Hey, droopy, why the long face?" someone hailed him, and Remus awoke from his self-pitiful doze and turned to see his oldest brother, Guillaume ('Gill' for short), walking over to him.  
"Nothing," he sighed, as Gill leaned casually against the tree. "I'm fine."  
"C'mon, I know you," his brother teased. "You're so easy to read, moonbaby."  
The old nickname was as hated as always. Remus made a face. "I hate it when you call me that, Gill."  
"Ahh, I'm just yankin' your chain," Gill laughed. "You know I only do it 'cos it annoys you."  
"You and Henri," Remus grumbled. "I oughta think up insulting baby names for the two of you."  
"We're straying from the point, I think," Gill said. "Really, Rem, what's up?"  
"Well...." Remus hesitated. No need to worry anyone, or spill things that shouldn't be spilt.  
"It's a girl, isn't it?" Remus looked at his brother, surprised. "Um, kinda, yeah."  
Gill chuckled and rumpled his little brother's hair lovingly. "Let me guess. She doesn't know you exist."  
"Well.... she used to, but now she's with someone else," Remus confessed. Boy, how awkward would it be if Gill found out he was really thinking of Sirius?  
"Ouch," Gill sympathized. "Been down that road, Rem. I know how you feel." ('Oh do you? Do you *really*?' Remus thought bitterly.) Do what I did - ignore her too. She'll be begging you in a week."  
"Did it work for you?" Remus asked.  
Gill coughed, looking embarrassed. "Well... no," he admitted.  
"You jerk." Remus said, punching him in the arm. "You give the worst advice."  
"Sorry," Gill apologized, rubbing his arm. "I just make it worse, don't I?" He stretched and straightened up. "It's time for dinner, in case you wanted to know. Mum sent me out here to get you."  
"Okay," sighed Remus, closing his book and sliding out of his hammock. He followed Gill back into the house, mulling over his advice.   
  
~August 29 - the Pettigrew house~  
  
"Are you *sure* this is what I'm supposed to do?" Peter asked suspiciously.  
James and Sirius groaned. If they had been anime characters, they would have crashed to the floor. It was a near thing as it was.   
"Yes, Pete," James said, a trifle testily. He and Sirius had spent the night at Peter's house, helping him struggle through the last few steps of the transformation. Now it was finally time for Peter to try it - thank God. Personally, James' nerves were shot. Quite the stressful summer.  
"Go ahead," Sirius said patiently. "Jim and I've been practicing transforming and transforming back all summer. We know the counter-spell, too, in case you get stuck."  
"All right," Peter said nervously. "Here goes."  
He raised his wand and softly recited the spell. The bluish-white light that was so familiar to James and Sirius by now engulfed the small boy. Okay, so far, so good. But Peter was *shrinking* rather than growing. And when the light faded, they saw why. Their faces cracked into identical grins.  
"Okay, turn back," James said. There was a pause, then Peter was shrouded in light once more. When it faded, he looked at them hopefully.  
"Was I okay?"  
"Bloody brilliant," Sirius said, grinning.   
"Well done," James added.  
Peter grinned. Finally, he had done something right.  
  
~September 1 - the Hogwarts Express~  
  
"This is awful," Sirius moaned. "James Potter, on the side of law and order!"  
James had just announced that he had been made a prefect this year, an announcement that startled them all.   
"How can *you* be made a prefect? You're worse than I am!" Sirius said to James.  
James shrugged. "I dunno. McGonagall sent me the letter in July. I wanted it to be a secret until now."  
"I can see why," Sirius teased. "I'd beat you up otherwise." He sighed and blew a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. "Not fair. My girlfriend *and* my best friend are prefects. I'll never get away with anything ever again!"  
"Lily's a prefect too?" Peter asked.   
"Yeah," Sirius scowled. "Sometimes she's too *perfect*."  
"And sometimes you're too dangerous," Remus reminded him. "Besides, you'd love it if Lily slapped handcuffs on you."  
"Woooo, bondage!" James hooted. "Siri, I never knew you were into stuff like that!"  
Sirius sighed, pulled a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from his pocket, and picked out a green one. He nibbled it, made a face, then turned to James.  
"Catch, Jim!" he laughed, flicking the bean at James. "Broccoli ahoy!"  
"Broccoli?!" James yelled. "My most hated of all vegetables! You nerd!" He snatched Sirius' box of beans, pawed trough it, and pulled out a suspicious-looking green-blue bean. He tasted it, choked, and flipped it at Sirius. "Chlorinated pool water!" he yelled.  
Well, it ended up becoming a cataclysmic Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean fight, and when it ended there were beans scattered all throughout their compartment.   
"Honestly," Lily (who had just entered) sighed, picking an eggplant parmesian-flavored bean out of her hair. "Boys."  
  
~September 3 - the Hogwarts Grounds~  
  
"It's *tomorrow tonight*?!" Peter asked.  
"That blows," Sirius commented.  
"Tell me about it," said Remus sadly. Only two days back at school and worrying about the full moon already. Yeah, he had known it was coming... but still...  
"How are you coming with the spell?" Remus asked, trying to sound casual as they passed Hagrid's house. "And *where* are we going, anyway?"  
"Couple more months, and we'll have it," James said.   
"And we're not going far," Sirius said cheerfully. "Just want to show you something."  
They entered the empty Quidditch field. Remus was quite puzzled. What was there here that they could possibly want to show him? The Quidditch season hadn't even started yet. Hell, the tryouts for new team members hadn't even started yet.  
  
Sirius gave him a sly grin. "Stay right there."  
"What are you doing?" Remus asked suspiciously as they stood in a line about ten feet in front of him. He felt rather uneasy. Positioned as they were, he imagined they were probably going to pelt him with pies or water balloons or something as a late birthday surprise.  
But they didn't. Instead they pulled out their wand and exchanged excited glances. Oh, okay. So they were going to curse him then.  
But they didn't do that either. They raised their wands over their heads, and at the same time, chanted a spell Remus was unfamiliar with. They were instantly surrounded by a radiant light, so blinding that Remus had to squint and put his hand up to shade his eyes. The light cleared almost as suddenly as it appeared, and when he saw what had happened to them, what they had become, his jaw dropped in amazement. The strength went out of his legs all at once, and he sort of fell to the ground in slow motion, still staring at them.  
  
Where his three friends had stood, there were now three animals - a stag, a dog, and a rat. Remus' eyes filled with tears. They had done it.....   
The dog wagged its tail and bounded over, then licked Remus' cheek. It was Sirius, to be sure. The shaggy black fur and dark blue eyes were a dead giveaway. Remus slowly reached up with a trembling hand and stroked the dog's head. The stag and the rat came forward together; the rat that was Peter scampered between the huge dog's front legs and placed his tiny paws on Remus' knees. Remus held out his other hand, and the rat climbed into his palm and sat up, wrapping its long, pink tail around its feet. The stag bowed its magnificent head, and Remus gently patted its nose, then ran a disbelieving finger along one of its antlers. A proud, noble stag - just what he should have expected from James.  
"Oh, God..." Remus whispered hoarsely. He was going to start crying any minute now, he just knew it. "This is just.... unbelievable.... I mean...."  
He put the rat down gently, then stood up on shaky legs. He walked around them, trying to see them from every angle. Not a single mistake. The stag nudged him with its nose, and Remus was sure it would have been laughing if it could. The huge black dog (Remus suspected Sirius had been a Grim on purpose - oh, ok, he couldn't *choose* the form himself, but it just seemed like something Sirius would do) was wagging its tail like mad, and held a paw out to Remus. Remus took it, the world turning into shining, colored prisms as his tears spilled over. He let go of the dog's paw and sniffed, feeling a tad ridiculous but not caring, and digging in his pockets for a hanky.  
As he mopped his wet face, the bright light appeared again, and when it cleared, James, Sirius, and Peter were back, all of them grinning like fools, tremendously pleased with their accomplishment.  
"You okay, Remmie?" Sirius asked, putting an arm around his friend's shoulders.  
"I'm fine," Remus sniffed. "That was amazing.... I'm proud of you......"  
"You sound like my mum," James teased. He kissed the tip of his finger, then touched the tip of Remus' nose. "So now you don't have to be alone all night."  
"Yeah, we'll start coming tomorrow," Sirius said. "I was hoping it wasn't coming up so *soon*, you know, so we could let you have a while to cry."  
"Oh, shut up," Remus sniffled. "Sometimes I hate you."  
"But not right now?"  
"Of course not." Remus dried his eyes and stuffed his hanky back into his pocket. "You prat."  
  
~September 4 - 8:00 PM - a broom cupboard~  
  
"Ouch!" Sirius muttered. "Gerroff, Pete. D'you hear anything, Jim?"  
James had his ear pressed against the door of the broom cupboard they were hiding in, listening intently. "Okay... okay..." he opened the door the tiniest bit. "Coast is clear. Madame Pomfrey just went down to the hospital wing. Cloak on - let's go."  
Under the Invisibility Cloak, they tiptoed across the entrance hall and out the front doors, being as quiet as possible. They crossed the grounds as quickly as they could all packed under the cloak, and stopped near the Whomping Willow (but well out of its range, so as not to get hit).  
"How do we get past that?" Peter whimpered. His worry wasn't eased when he saw James and Sirius exchange wicked glances.  
Sirius flung an arm around Peter's shoulders and smiled charmingly. "This is a job for you, Pete."  
"ME?!"  
"Yes, you," James said. "You're the smallest, you have to do it."  
"See that knot on the tree's trunk?" Sirius asked, gently turning Peter's head so he could see it. "All you gotta do is transform and then press that knot. You're so small, the tree'll never know you're there."  
"Are you *sure* that'll work?" Peter gulped.  
"Sure as I can be," Sirius assured him.  
"All right..." Peter sighed, resigned to his fate. "But if I die, I'm never going to talk to you ever again." He transformed into the rat and cautiously approached the tree. It kept waving its branches menacingly, but didn't seem to notice the small rat near its roots. The rat took a deep breath, then ran forward and pressed the knot.  
Instantly, the Willow froze. After waiting a second to see if it would start again, James and Sirius exchanged excited looks. They pulled off the cloak, James hid it in his pocket, and they transformed. The stag and the dog galloped forward to join the rat at the base of the tree, then the trio slipped into the tunnel opening underneath the tree's roots. As soon as they disappeared into the passage, the Willow began to move again.  
  
~9:30 PM - the Shrieking Shack~  
  
The wolf raised its head and sniffed. Something was coming. It sniffed the air again. Familiar smells, but not human smells. The wolf couldn't quite place it. It kept an eye on the trapdoor, its sensitive hearing picking up scratching and sniffing and - footsteps? - in the passage below.  
The trapdoor swung open, and the wolf prepared itself to jump - but stopped when a huge black dog squeezed out of the trapdoor, followed by a rat, and a stag which seemed to be having trouble getting its antlers through the trapdoor. The dog ran its tongue out in a way that made it look as if it were laughing, but trotted over to help the stag. Ever so cautiously, the wolf approached them, its tail waving in sort of a half-wag.  
Now that its antlers were clear, the stag squeezed out of the small door and shook its head irritably. The rat was looking around in an uncertain way. But the dog let out a loud, booming bark, and pounced on the wolf.  
The wolf's first instinct was to bite, but it didn't. Instead it rolled over, pinning the dog to the floor. The dog's tail thumped on the floor and it barked again. The stag shook its head and stuck its nose between the pair, breaking them up. The dog looked hurt, but then bent down and carefully picked up the rat by the scruff of the neck. The rat squeaked, and the dog turned its head far enough to let the rat scramble onto its back. The rat climbed up and sat on the dog's head.  
With a soft whine, the wolf touched noses with the dog, then the rat, then the stag, acknowledging them as its friends.... its pack.  
  
~September 5 - 5:00 AM~  
  
Remus woke up when the sunlight shining through the window hit him in the face. He grumbled. It was too early to get up. He snuggled deeper into the pillows, and sneezed. Why was his bed so dusty? He opened one eye a crack. Huh. He was in the Shrieking Shack. Odd, he wasn't feeling any pain this morning. Why -  
He rolled over, and someone yelled. Oh, right. *Now* he remembered.  
  
Remus sat up, only to find he had rolled practically right on top of Sirius, who was blinking sleepily up at him and looking as though he couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Remus blushed.  
"Sorry, Siri," he said, getting off Sirius.  
Sirius sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair and looking around groggily. "What time is it?"  
"I don't know," Remus said. "I left my watch in the castle."  
Sirius punched the bundle of blankets beside him, which squawked and sat up. "WHAT?!" James mumbled, patting around on the covers looking for his glasses.  
"You're no help, you can't see," Sirius said in disgust, and crawled over James and poked Peter, who was sleeping on James' other side. "Pete? PETE! Gah, he's hopeless." He grabbed Peter's wrist and squinted at his watch. "It's five o'clock," he answered his own question, and crawled back over James ("Gerroff, Siri!") to his spot on the bed.   
Remus had been looking around the room while this was going on, and had recognized his surroundings. They were in the master bedroom of the Shrieking Shack, and they were all packed into the huge four-poster bed which stood in the center of the room. "How," Remus wondered aloud, examining their rather cramped space on the bed, "Did we fit on this thing? Considering three of us make very large animals."  
"Don't ask me," mumbled James, who had found his glasses at last. "What time is it, Siri?"  
"Five."  
"In the morning?"  
"Duh."  
"We should get back to school before someone misses us," said Peter, who had finally woken up.  
"Pete's right," Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe we can catch a few more winks before classes." He looked at Remus. "You okay, Remmie?"  
"Sure," Remus said, getting up and going to the window. He peeked out of the crack between the boards, trying to see if Madame Pomfrey was returning. "Actually, I feel *much* better than I usually do after.... you know." He turned to look at them. "You'd better go, Madame Pomfrey will be coming for me soon."  
"Okay," James said as they struggled out from the tangled bedclothes. "We'll see you in a while, okay?"  
"All right," Remus said softly, watching them vanish as they pulled on the cloak. "Hurry."  
As soon as he heard the trapdoor close, Remus climbed back into the bed and straightened the bedclothes, then laid still and pretended to be asleep. After a while, Madame Pomfrey came to bring him back to school.  
  
~12:30 PM - Lunch~  
  
"You looked so funny last night, Jim," Sirius giggled softly.   
"Shut up," James said warningly. "It's not *my* fault they build trapdoors too small."  
Remus giggled. "Those prongs of yours'll have to go, Jim."  
James looked at him, wide eyed. "Remmie!"  
"What?"  
"You've just given me an idea!" James said happily.   
"I did?" "Yes! We need - NICKNAMES!"  
"Oh," Said Remus. "Top secret secret-agent names?"  
"Oooh, I like that idea," Sirius said happily.  
"And you've given me the perfect name, Remmie!" James said. "PRONGS!"  
They stared at him. Nearby, a fork fell to the ground with a clatter. (Pointless suspense.)  
"I like that," Sirius said after a few minutes. He looked imploringly at Remus. "Remmie, give *me* a nickname! Pleeeeeeease?"  
"Let me think," Remus said. They waited while he thoughtfully chewed a meatball. "Um.... how about - okay, this is dumb, but the best I can think of - Padfoot?"  
They stared at him. Nearby, a fork fell to the ground with a clatter. (Again, I guess.)  
"That's perfect," Sirius said. "I'm PADFOOT!" He giggled like mad, and said, "What about Pete?"  
"Easy!" Remus responded. "Wormtail!"  
They stared at him. Nearby, a fork fell to the ground with a clatter. (Someone has a case of the dropsies today.)  
"Why?" Peter asked.  
"Well, your tail looks kind of like a worm," Remus said apologetically. "Sorry."  
Peter pouted, but James laughed and punched his arm. "I think it works. And besides, be glad you don't get your wormtail caught in things."  
"Now *you* need a nickname, Remmie," Sirius said. "Huddle!" He put his head close to James' and Peter's, and they mumbled back and forth to each other. Remus waited patiently, sopping up the last of his spaghetti sauce with his bread crust.   
"Okay," Sirius said a minute later, beaming, "We've decided!"  
"You're MOONY!" James said, making it sound as if he had said, "You're a sack of GOLD!"  
"Moony?" Remus repeated, trying out the name. "Heh. I like it!"  
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," James mused. "Yes, that'll work. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs - the names that will soon be INFAMOUS around this school!"  
"If a prefect is allowed to be infamous," Sirius said sweetly.  
  
~October 1 - the Library~  
  
Sirius had his head on the table. He was sleeping. Lily gave him a poke in the ribs, and he woke up with a yelp.  
"Oh, it was you," Sirius said, scowling at his girlfriend. "What was that for, eh?"  
"I thought we were on a *study date*," Lily teased. "Not a sleepover."  
"We'd get thrown out for *that*," Sirius said, winking at her. She just giggled and flapped a hand at him.  
"You're a booger sometimes, do you know that?" she asked, and giggled again.  
"Am I?" Sirius pouted. "If you keep calling me names I'll never kiss you again."  
"Good, that means my skin won't melt off," Lily teased. Sirius shot her a fuming glare, but then joined her in laughing.   
"Okay, okay," he said, smiling. "If I promised to work instead of sleeping, would you let me kiss you?"  
Lily blushed, and shot a quick glance around. "Okay. But hurry - I don't want Madame Pince to see."  
Grinning, Sirius leaned across the desk to claim his prize.  
  
~October 17 - Midnight - Astronomy class~  
  
Remus was staring up at the sky, only half-listening as Professor Sinistra delivered her lesson on the phases of the moon. He was an expert on the moon; knew more about it than he ever cared to learn.   
He gazed upward at the bright star, Sirius, then over at the human Sirius, who was pretending to listen to Professor Sinistra, but was really passing notes to Lily, who was trying to hide her giggles behind her hand. The sight made him feel like kicking something (and since Snape was right in front of him, the desire was doubled), so instead Remus fell to musing his new nickname. 'Moony'.... well, it wasn't 'moonbaby', so *that* was a relief (and if his friends ever heard the nicknames his brothers used for him, he'd die seventy times of embarrassment). It wasn't so bad. In fact, he liked it. Usually he hated everything that had to do with the moon, and that meant stupid names as well. But he supposed he liked it so much because it was given to him by his friends...  
Professor Sinistra dismissed them (probably noting how many people were yawning), and they headed back to their common rooms, discussing the upcoming weekend. It was going to be a Hogsmeade weekend, a cause for celebration, but Remus was less than enthused - Sirius would either bring Lily with them, - which wasn't too bad, but it was awkward watching them snog in the middle of Zonko's - or go off with her by himself. Which Remus didn't care for either. The Marauders weren't complete without Sirius. And poor James often looked as if he had lost his best friend - well, in a way, he had.  
  
~October 31 - Halloween - Great Hall~  
  
"Who wants to find out some of the benefits of being a prefect?" James asked casually.  
"Me!" Sirius said. Remus was deeply suspicious.  
"What are you talking about, Jim?" he asked warily.  
"Well, I have a little adventure we could go on tonight..." James said. "That is, if no one's too busy..."  
Remus sighed. He really wanted to study for his O.W.L.S. Sure, they weren't until the end of the year, but still.. you could never be too prepared. But James, bless him, looked so excited about whatever-it-was that he had planned, Remus didn't have the heart to ruin it.   
"Count me in," he said.  
"Me too," said Peter. "Where are we going?"   
"It's gonna be a surprise," James said. "Only - I hope you all brought your swimming trunks."  
Now this was confusing. Remus had, of course, brought his (Siri dragged them out to the lake every night it was warm enough to swim), but it was a puzzlement to him as why he'd need them tonight.  
Sirius smiled his most charming smile. "You're not even going to tell *me*, Jim-Prongs?"  
"Nope, this is top secret," James said, smiling a maddening smile.   
"No fair," Sirius started to protest, but he was cut off by Lily, who had just arrived.  
"H'lo, love," she said, sitting next to Sirius. (Remus and James scowled.)   
"What is *that*?" Sirius asked, pointing to the huge folder of papers she was carrying.  
"O.W.L. practice papers," Lily said brightly. "Can't be too prepared, you know!"  
"That's what I've been telling them since *last year*," Remus said.  
"You'd better listen to him, he's right!" Lily said to James, Sirius, and Peter (but she seemed to be talking to Sirius in particular).  
Sirius grumbled. "I am NOT a moron, Lil," he said, shooting her a venomous glare.  
"I know you're not. But you're also not someone who starts things well in advance."  
"Barking mad, you and Remmie," Sirius grumbled, going back to his pumpkin pie.  
  
~November 1 - 1:00 AM - Gryffindor common room~  
  
Remus was pouring over a list of dates, trying to memorize them all for next week's History Of Magic test. He was wearing his swimming trunks under his robes (still perplexed over why he'd need them). He was also trying to ignore Sirius and Lily, who were exchanging a very long, very sloppy kiss good night. As usual, the sight of them together made him want to kick something. In fact, his leg kicked out involuntarily and he stubbed his toe on the table leg.  
"Damn!" he yelped, dropping his notes. Sirius jumped and looked at him.  
"Profanity coming from the mouth of Saint Lupin?" he asked, pretending to be shocked. "Why, Moony! I never!"  
"You prat," Remus sighed. "I stubbed my toe."  
"Oh."  
"Why d'you call him Moony?" Lily asked curiously.   
"Um.........." Sirius stalled. "Because... uh - that stupid Divination class - you know, when Tomoe said he was ruled by the moon or something. Besides, he looks like a Moony, doesn't he?"  
Lily giggled, getting up. "You do, Remus," she said, blushing. "I don't know why, but it just fits you."  
"Thanks, Lil," Remus said. "Good night."  
She rumpled his hair on her way upstairs, and dodged, laughing, when he pretended to kick her.  
  
Just a minute after Lily left, the portrait hole opened and James climbed in.  
"I just got off patrol duty," he explained before Sirius could comment. "Let me change and I'll be right back."  
He ran upstairs, presumably to change into his swim trunks. Sirius sighed, and wandered over to where Remus was studying. "What'cha doing?"  
"Studying for that quiz Binns has for us," Remus replied.   
"Oh."  
Sirius leaned over Remus' shoulder and pretended to read the page. He snuck a peek at Remus and was surprised to see a flush spreading across his friend's face. Hmm. Was he - well, he'd see. Hardly daring to breathe, he slipped an arm around Remus' waist.   
Remus nearly fainted. What in the world was Sirius doing? He *had* a girlfriend - and besides, he had admitted he wasn't in love with Remus. Well, then, what was this?  
He turned to face Sirius, who was giving him a shy smile from under his long hair.  
"Siri," he hissed in a scandalized whisper, "What *are* you doing?"  
Sirius shrugged, and kissed his cheek. "Anything you want me to do."  
Remus stared at him. "What about Lil?"  
Sirius blushed, and was about to reply when James came back down, carrying the Invisibility Cloak and dragging Peter by the arm. Sirius straightened up quickly, but not quickly enough to stop James from giving him a suspicious glare. He chose to ignore how beet-red Remus' face was and said, "Okay, ready?"  
"Sure," said Sirius as Remus closed his book. "Let's go!"  
  
They hid under the cloak and followed James, who led them to the fifth floor. He paused in front of a statue of a lost-looking wizard with his gloves on the wrong hands, then grinned. They followed him to the fourth door from the left. James leaned close to it and muttered, "Pine fresh."  
The door opened, and he grinned at the looks on their faces when they walked in. "Welcome to the prefects' bathroom," he said proudly.  
The entire room was made of white marble, softly lit by an enormous chandelier. There was a swimming pool (complete with diving board) in the middle of the room, and on the sides of the pool were at least a hundred sparkling gold taps with jewels set in their handles. There was a huge pile of fluffy white towels, and on the wall was a gold-framed painting of a mermaid, who was fast asleep with her hair over her face.  
"Jim!" Sirius gasped. "This is *YOUR* bathroom?"  
"That it is," James said, grinning. "You like?"  
"My new ambition in life is to become a prefect," Sirius drooled.   
"It *is* nice," Peter said, peeking from behind Remus.  
"Now I see why we had to wear our trunks," Remus added.  
  
Sirius knelt by a tap and turned it on. Purple foam flowed from it, beginning to fill the tub. Curious, Remus turned another tap and was amazed when it emitted a stream of heavily-perfumed, baby-blue bubbles which hovered near the ceiling and refused to pop. He tried another, and pink jets of foam hit the water, bounced up, then came back down and began drawing curlicues and spirals on the surface of the water.  
The four corner taps were all decorated with diamonds, and James had already turned them on. These taps poured out plain water, but there had to be some magic to it, because the pool filled in a very short time, considering its size. They took off their robes and got in. It was far too deep to sit on the bottom, so Remus stayed in one place, treading water and enjoying the smell of all the mixed perfumes and soaps.   
"This is *nice*," Sirius said, looking impressed. He took a few deep breaths, then dove under. Just as Remus started to worry, he resurfaced at the other end of the pool. "I like this! Now I'm jealous, Jim."  
"It *is* nice," Peter said again. "I wish our bathroom was like this."  
"We're not special enough," Sirius said in mock sadness, shaking his head. "They *like* making us feel inferior."  
Remus rolled his eyes and hoisted himself out. He wanted to try that diving board. He climbed up the ladder, peered over the edge, and called, "I'm going to jump!"  
"No, Remmie!" Sirius cried. "Think of all you have to live for!"  
"Goodbye, cruel world!" Remus wailed, playing along perfectly, and dived.  
James, Sirius, and Peter watched in amazement as Remus plunged head-first into the water, doing a perfect dive. He surfaced and shook his bangs out of his eyes. "How was that?"  
"And the judges give it... aaaaaaaaaall TENS!" James cried dramatically. "Where'd you learn how to swim?"  
"My gram has a chateau in France, and we visit her in the summer sometimes," Remus replied.  
They gaped at him. "No, really," James said.  
"I'm telling the truth."  
"Sure?" Sirius asked.  
Remus stuck out his chin defiantly. "I'd tell you the same under Veritaserum."  
"Wow." Sirius looked deeply impressed, which was a rare occurrence for him. "Invite us sometime."  
"Gram doesn't appreciate freeloaders," Remus teased.  
James pouted. "Oh, come on. I'll even wear a shirt that says 'I am NOT a freeloader' if you want!"  
Remus rolled his eyes. What a bunch of buffoons.  
  
~Sirius' Journal - November 1, 2:00 AM~  
  
-We just got back from the prefects' bathroom. Nice place. I kinda envy Jim for getting to use it. Not enough to become a prefect, though. Heh.  
I think I weirded Remmie out tonight in the common room. Hell, I weirded myself out, never mind Remmie. What the hell was I thinking? I mean, I'm in love with Lil! .......... I think. I dunno, there's something about Remmie that just attracts me. But I'm not going to spend my life being tormented by Snape. I don't need the extra stress. I really gotta put this out of my mind... I mean, I keep doing things like this and Remmie'll start avoiding me.....-   
  
-November 19 - the Shrieking Shack~  
  
Moony stood with his head tilted to one side, a puzzled expression on his face. Beside him, Wormtail looked equally puzzled.   
Padfoot and Prongs were working busily at the boarded-up door. Well, working wasn't the right word. 'Smashing into' would be better. They were charging the door, trying to break it open. Finally, the boards on the outside gave with a squeal of rusty nails, and the door flew open. Padfoot barked, and Prongs ducked his head in a modest way. Moony and Wormtail followed them out the door, and the four animals gazed down at the village of Hogsmeade.  
(You might be wondering what they were thinking. Taking a werewolf down into a village full of people? Not good. But remember, they're all still pretty young and foolish.)  
Prongs led the way, the others following (Wormtail riding on Moony's head). If anyone in the village had been awake, they would have been immediately suspicious - deer did not usually venture far from the forest, and certainly not in the company of dogs, wolves, and rats. But Hogsmeade was virtually deserted. Nobody saw the animals wandering down the main street and up the path leading to Hogwarts.  
They crossed the grounds, trying to stick to shadows. Too likely that nosy gits like Snape might see them and put two and two together. They snuck past Hagrid's hut, and stopped on the edge of the lake.   
The moon was reflected in the lake, making Moony whine unhappily. He turned instead to look up at the castle. Hmm. People in there - lots of people. He trotted on towards the castle, then broke into a run.  
Padfoot barked loudly, and raced after Moony. Couldn't happen! Moony couldn't get into the castle! Padfoot took a flying leap and landed right on top of Moony, growling. Moony snapped at him, but Padfoot growled louder and seized Moony by the neck. Moony went limp at once, his anger turning to fear. Padfoot let him up, still growling, and gave Moony a warning nudge with his nose. Moony meekly went back to Prongs and Wormtail, his tail between his legs. Padfoot followed. If he had been Sirius at that moment, he would have breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
~Remus' Journal - December 17~  
  
-Well, the axe has fallen. McGonagall announced today there's going to be a Yule Ball for Christmas. Sigh. Not my idea of fun. I can't think of anyone to ask, and no one's going to invite me, most likely, so maybe I should go home for Christmas. Serena's staying here for the ball, a holiday without her would be nice.... I really wish I could go with Siri. But he's going with Lily, of course, invited her just two minutes after McGonagall gave her announcement. Sigh again. I might as well stick it out for now - someone might want to invite me....... I don't think sarcasm becomes me, do you?-   
  
~December 21 - Potions~  
  
Professor Kirk had sprung a quiz on poison antidotes on them today, which was off-putting, as it was the last day of the term. Remus had already finished, and handed his quiz in. He was sitting at his table, being as quiet as a mouse and reading a book on unicorns. He was trying to send psychic messages to Peter, who was sitting next to him and was seeming to have trouble. Potions wasn't Peter's best subject, and Remus felt sorry for him.   
The bell finally rung for the end of class, and everyone headed off to lunch. Remus was packing his books neatly into his bag when someone asked, "Remus? Can I talk to you?"  
It was Snape. Remus gulped, remembering their 'talk' last year. But he said, "All right, Severus," somewhat cautiously (and surprised Snape had called him by his first name).  
Sirius looked unhappy, and shot a nasty glare at Snape. "Should we wait for you, Remmie?"  
Very nice of them, but Snape was looking uncomfortable, so Remus shook his head. "Not necessary," he said, smiling at his friends, "but thanks anyway. Go ahead, I'll catch you up."  
Looking unconvinced, Sirius left, followed by James and Peter (both looking thoroughly perplexed). Remus turned to Snape. "What is it, Severus?"  
Snape turned bright pink. He looked down at his shoes and mumbled something Remus couldn't quite catch. "What was that?"  
"I wondered if you'd go to the ball with me," Snape said very quickly, turning even brighter pink. Remus was quite taken aback.  
"The Yule Ball?" he asked. "You want me to go with you?"  
Snape nodded, looking like he wanted to die. Remus could sympathize, after what he'd been through with Sirius. Okay, he could ignore that little incident from last year.  
"Okay, I'll be glad to," he said softly, blushing.  
Snape looked at him in frank amazement. "You will?"  
Remus nodded. For a minute, he thought Snape was going to kiss him, but instead Snape just smiled and whispered, "Thank you," before running out of the classroom.  
  
Remus wandered down to lunch in a daze, still not fully believing what had just happened. Well, now. It looked he was going to the Ball with one of the people on this planet that he most disliked. Huh. It was funny how life worked sometimes. Well, how bad could it be? Remus asked himself. Snape wasn't so bad when he wasn't around the rest of his Slytherin friends. There was only one problem.... however was he going to explain it to his friends?.....  
  
~December 25 - 7:30 PM~  
  
Remus was a nervous wreck. Who knew a stupid dance could be so nerve-wracking?  
All four Marauders were in their dorm, getting into their dress robes. Remus' robes were a lovely golden-tawny color that almost matched his hair and brought out the color of his eyes (his mother had picked his robes out for him). Peter's were a dark red, and he looked very self-conscious in them. James was wearing navy-blue robes and leaning over the mirror, trying in vain to get his hair to lie flat. And Sirius.... well, in Remus' opinion, he looked stunning. True to his name, he was wearing black, tight-fitting robes (and oh how Remus envied Lily for being Sirius' date!), and his glossy hair was done in a braid. He looked just delicious. Remus had to fight an urge to kiss him every time he looked at him.  
"You're fighting a losing battle, Jim," Sirius said, watching James struggle with his hair.   
"I know," James sighed, throwing down his comb in disgust. "Curse the ancestor I inherited this hair from." He straightened his robes. "Should we go?"  
"All right," Sirius said cheerfully, already in the hallway. He bounced down the stairs and over to Lily, who was waiting for him.  
Anyone would be thrilled to have Lily Evans for their date. She looked as stunning as Sirius in bright green robes that exactly matched her eyes, her flaming red hair was braided with gold ribbon. She smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Sirius on the cheek.   
"Simply gorgeous, love," Sirius said, his eyes twinkling.   
"You're not so bad yourself," Lily said, taking his hand. She smiled at James, Remus and Peter. "H'lo, guys. Meeting your dates in the Entrance Hall?"  
"Yup," they responded, except for Remus, who merely nodded. He felt as if he were going to be sick if he opened his mouth. They trooped downstairs, Remus feeling sicker and sicker with every step.   
When they got into the entrance hall, Peter was almost tackled by Grace Addams, a curly-haired Ravenclaw girl whom he had invited. James was met by Rose McDougall from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. And - Remus swallowed hard and willed himself not to faint - here came Snape.  
Remus took a deep breath and went over to him. He could feel six pairs (and more) of disbelieving eyes on him as he kissed Snape's cheek. Let them stare.  
Snape smiled at him, and Remus saw Sirius' mouth drop open out of the corner of his eye. It was probably the first time in history anyone had ever seen Snape smile. Remus took Snape by the arm and led him back to his friends, all of whom were gawking openly at them. Sirius' mouth moved, but no sound came out. He looked stunned beyond words. Stunned and stunning, Remus thought, and almost giggled.  
"Hello, Snape," James said, eyeing Snape as if he were an escaped tiger from the zoo.  
"Hello, Potter," Snape said icily, looking as if he wanted to say more, but Remus gently squeezed him arm, silencing him. Hmm. Intriguing development. Snape would do anything he wanted him to do?  
Sirius finally shut his mouth, but looked as though he were undergoing a painful internal struggle. Finally he said, "Um.... we'd better go."  
They headed into the Great Hall. "I'm sorry," Remus murmured softly to Snape. "They're just surprised to see us together, I guess."  
"That's okay," Snape said (even though it wasn't). He sighed, then said, "You want to sit with them, don't you."  
"Well, I would like to, but we don't have to," Remus said. "We could sit with your friends, if you want....." Even though he hoped and prayed Snape wouldn't. A night with Lucius Malfoy was enough to make anyone queasy.   
"No, we'll sit with yours," Snape said (Remus almost passed out in surprise). "I suppose it can't hurt this once."  
Well, it was likely to be a miserable night.... but Remus didn't argue. Instead he and Snape went to sit with Remus' friends.  
  
Tonight's dinner was the strangest meal Remus had ever eaten. Not the food - the food was up to the house elves' superb standards. The strange thing was that James, Sirius, and Snape seemed to be getting along. Not *liking* each other, but they weren't fighting, either. Very strange. And Lily kept shooting puzzled looks at Remus, clearly wanting to know why in the world Remus had ever agreed to come to the ball with Snape. Remus ignored her looks. He wasn't about to explain, and certainly not in front of Sirius. He could just imagine how that would sound. 'Well, Lil, Siri broke my heart in favor of you, and he's a total prat sometimes, he was kissing me in the common room while you weren't around...' Yeah, that'd go over just great.  
After dinner there was dancing. Looking rather shy and unsure of himself, Snape asked Remus to dance.  
"All right," Remus agreed. "But I hope you wore your steel-toed shoes today. I'm a terrible dancer."  
Sirius sniggered, but Snape just shrugged. "That's ok, so am I!"  
So Remus allowed himself to be dragged out onto the dance floor. He put a hand on Snape's waist and took Snape's hand in his. This was nice, he thought as they revolved slowly on the spot (and everyone else was doing the same; Remus wasn't as bad as he thought). Now only if he could be dancing with Sirius!..... But it really wasn't so bad, dancing with Snape. Frankly, he was amazed at how gentlemanly Snape was being.  
A slow number started, and Remus decided to take his chances. He put his other arm around Snape and rested his head on Snape's shoulder.  
Snape didn't even flinch. He just wrapped his arms around Remus, and they slowly swayed together to the music. Remus sighed contentedly. He was actually enjoying himself. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Okay, to be honest, he felt like throwing something every time he looked at Sirius and Lily, but if he ignored them everything was all right. He looked around for James and Peter. Ah. There was James, dancing with Rose over near the staff table. Peter and Grace were sitting down, but they were talking animatedly to each other, and seemed to be enjoying each other's company immensely. Remus smiled to himself. He knew how awkward Peter was around girls, and he was glad Peter and Grace were getting along so well. It would be good for Peter's self-esteem.  
The number ended, and Snape leaned close to whisper into Remus' ear : "D'you want to go outside for at bit?"  
Remus shivered as Snape's breath tickled his ear. Wow. That was a first. No one had ever done *that* to him before - well, except Sirius. Remus put the thought out of his mind straight away, and smiled up at Snape. "All right," he agreed, taking Snape's hand.  
  
They wandered out to the grounds, which was just a spectacularly decorated as the Great Hall. Real faeries fluttered in the bushes and trees, and lighted on statues of Father Christmas and his reindeer. Snape led him over to a bench, and they sat, still holding hands. Remus closed his eyes and tilted his head back. It was pleasantly cool out here after the Great Hall. He opened his eyes and looked up at the stars. He could see a red glow almost overhead. That must be Mars. He ignored the thin crescent moon, and instead looked over at a bright star the hung just over the Forbidden Forest. Not Sirius, it was too big to be Sirius. It was Venus.  
"Remus?"  
Remus looked at Snape, who was looking rather shy. It might have been a trick of the starlight, but Remus thought Snape was blushing.   
"Yes, Severus?"  
"Can I ask you something?" Snape asked. No, it wasn't a trick of the light. He really was blushing.  
"Go ahead."  
Snape took a huge breath, as if asking this question required every ounce of courage he possessed. "Can I - I mean, would you mind if - I kissed you?"  
Remus was taken aback (and not for the first time that night!). But he figured refusing would be rude. "All right."  
Snape kissed him, very cautiously, as if he expected Remus to bite him. Remus didn't bite (that would be even ruder than refusing to let Snape kiss him!), just closed his eyes and kissed back. Ah. So Sirius wasn't the only one who could give him a nice kiss. Intriguing development Number 2.  
Ever so gently, Snape put his arms around Remus and held him close. Lovely. Remus kissed back more firmly. He wondered if Sirius would mind kissing Snape like this. 'Try it, you might like it,' he thought to himself, and had to rest his head on Snape's shoulder and giggle madly.  
Snape looked hurt. "Is there something funny about the way I kiss?" he asked, looking put out.  
"No, no!" Remus assured him. "I just thought of something funny. I'm sorry... I'm new at this.."  
That made Snape laugh, and Remus smiled up at him. "Want to try again?" he asked coyly, making Snape blush. They kissed again, and Remus reached up to wind a strand of Snape's hair around his finger. He liked this - well, until Snape did something he didn't like nearly as much. He started undoing Remus's robes.  
Remus pulled away at once. "What are you doing?"  
"I thought we could make this more interesting," Snape said.  
Remus' eyebrow arched. He gulped. "More.. interesting?"  
"I promise, it won't hurt," Snape said, in a low, husky whisper. "Come on."  
Well, this was *not* looking good. Remus had a pretty good idea of what Snape wanted, and he did not share the same desire.  
"No, no," he said hurriedly, getting up. "Severus, I'm not ready for this."  
Snape's expression darkened. "Not ready for it? As far as I can see you and Black have been at it before."  
"No, Severus, no," Remus said desperately. "Sirius is just my *friend*, can't you see that?"  
"All I can see is you'll let Black sleep with you, but not me," Snape snarled. "What is it about him that you like so much? Has he got a bigger -"  
"I wouldn't know," Remus said coldly, cutting Snape off. "If you'll excuse me, Severus, I think I'll go back in now."  
Not waiting for an answer, he turned and ran back inside. He didn't bother to join the ball again. Instead he went back to his dorm and changed into his pajamas, then got into bed. Whew. That had been one *awkward* situation. He fumbled out his journal and began to write.  
  
-I can't believe I didn't see through Snape straight away! Asking me to the Ball - pah! I should have figured he wanted more from me than just a nice date. Well, Siri and Jim were right about him. What am I going to tell them tomorrow? Who knows. I know what they'll be thinking... 'Gullible old Moony, he sure gets bamboozled at lot, doesn't he?'...... My head hurts. I think I'll go to sleep now. That'll help me avoid any awkward questions once the guys come back up.-   
  
~Sirius' Journal - December 31~  
  
-All this week I've been trying to get Remmie to tell me what's wrong. He's a lot quieter than usual lately, just sits around doing homework or O.W.L. practice papers, or else staring moodily off into space. Whenever one of us asks him what happened to him and Snape during the Ball, he changes the subject or doesn't respond at all. I think I know what might've happened.. I know Remmie never came back after he and Snape stepped out for a while. Snape came back about twenty minutes after they left, with a look that could have soured milk. You know what I think? I think he tried to put the moves on Remmie and scared the wits out of the poor guy. I'm not sure. Remmie was asleep by the time Jim and Pete and I got back to the dorm. And since he won't answer us...........  
I wonder if this has anything to do with me saying I didn't love him.....-   
  
~February 6 - 4 AM - Hogsmeade~  
  
A piercing howl broke the night's frozen silence. Moony ran down the hill into the village, in close pursuit of a young wizard. The wizard was scared to death, and wanted to collapse, but he knew if he did, he'd be doomed. A wolf was after him, and he had a horrid suspicion that it wasn't an ordinary wolf. It looked like a werewolf.  
He whipped around a corner and found himself in an enclosed alley. A snarl behind him told him the werewolf had him cornered. But then, a bark sounded close by, and the wizard was amazed to see a huge black dog tackle the wolf. As soon as he saw the two canines roll off to the side, he bolted. A terrified glance over his shoulder showed him the wolf and the dog, locked jaw to jaw, struggling. Then there was a clatter of hooves on cobblestones, and a stag came cantering up. It bowed its magnificent head and grunted at the wolf. Almost immediately, the wolf quieted.  
The wizard ducked inside his own house, but peered through the window at the three animals. The wolf hung its head and trotted off towards the woods, the dog by its side. The stag gazed around calmly, as if assuring itself that all was well, then followed its two companions.  
  
~February 6 - 6:30 AM~  
  
"I can't believe I almost bit that guy," Remus moaned. "It's lucky you guys were there.."  
James had his arms around Remus and was rocking gently back and forth with him. "It's okay, Remmie," he said softly. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. You didn't bite him. We stopped you in time."  
"I feel horrible," Remus whispered. "I'm a monster."  
"Don't even talk that way," Sirius said sharply. "You can't help that you're a werewolf. Blame fate or whoever bit you or God or whatever. But don't even blame yourself, Remmie. It's not your fault."  
This only made Remus cry harder, even though these were tears of relief, and of love for his friends. There was nothing to be done but to let him cry. By now both shoulders of James' robes were soggy. He cast a look at Sirius, who scooted closer and held Remus instead. Remus sniffed. He hadn't been this close to Sirius in a long time. But it wasn't like the hugs Sirius used to give him. Something was missing. Remus couldn't say what, but now the hug was different. It was more like being hugged by a relative - a favorite uncle or someone like that. Loving, but somehow impersonal. As he pondered this, he stopped crying.   
Sirius brushed Remus' bangs away from his eyes. "Feeling better?"  
"Yes, thanks," Remus said softly.   
Just then, he heard the distinctive noise of the trapdoor opening downstairs. Madame Pomfrey!  
James, Sirius, and Peter heard it too. They covered themselves with the Invisibility Cloak and ducked into a corner. Remus flopped down on the bed and pretended to be as sleepy as possible, as if he had just awakened.   
"Feeling all right, dear?" Madame Pomfrey asked him, looking concerned. Remus nodded sleepily, and allowed her to help him out of bed and down the path. He looked over his shoulder at the empty corner where his friends were hidden, and gave them a small smile. Another adventure gone undetected.  
  
~March 4 - the Library~  
  
Remus was sitting at a table with Peter, studying. Peter was concentrating hard on an essay for McGonagall. All was quiet and sleepy. Well, until the infamous Potter and Black barged into the library and joined them.  
"Guess what!" James said, excited. "You'll never *believe* what we just found!"  
"A secret passage?" Peter asked hopefully.  
"More than that, Pete," Sirius said, grinning broadly. "Wait until you see where it ends up. You'll flip!"  
"Well, you've got me interested," Remus said, closing his book and reluctantly bidding a day of studying goodbye. There was just something about the promise of an adventure that overruled all his senses and made him do odd things.   
"Me too, let's go," said Peter excitedly.  
  
James and Sirius led them to the third floor corridor and stopped in front of a statue of a one-eyed, hump-backed old witch. After a quick look around (the corridor was empty), James tapped the statue with his wand and murmured, "Dissendium!"  
A passage opened behind the statue. It was a tight squeeze (especially for Peter), but they got in without too much difficulty.   
"Lumos!" they muttered in unison, and the combined lights from their wands lit up where they were quite effectively.   
It was a damp, spidery tunnel, much like the one Remus and Sirius had found last year. It sloped downward, and James and Sirius led the way down. Just like the other path, it went on for a long time before reaching a staircase, which they climbed. A trapdoor was at the top of the stairs. They paused here.  
"We can't go through it now," James muttered to Remus and Peter. "We'll only be able to do it when no one's around, or when there's so many kids we can just blend in. But I'll let you peek - quick!"  
He lifted the trapdoor a little, and they peeked out. It opened into what appeared to be a dusty basement. But that wasn't all. The glow from their wands illuminated towers of cartons, each neatly labeled : Jelly Slugs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Fizzing Wizbees....  
"Are you telling me," Remus hissed, "That we're right under *HONEYDUKES"*?!"  
"Yes indeed," Sirius said, beaming. "Isn't it lovely?"  
"You bet," Peter drooled, his eyes still on the crates of sweets.   
"Of course we won't *steal* anything," James said, noting the look on Remus' face. "I thought you had us figured better than that, Remmie!"  
"I know you're not thieves," Remus said as they started back down the tunnel. "How'd you find it?"   
"If you can believe it, in 'Hogwarts, a History'," Sirius replied. "It doesn't say which statue hides the tunnel - doesn't even tell you which *floor* it's on - but we were just passing that one-eyed old crone when we read it, so we decided, why not?"  
"Not the best thing to put in a book you two might stumble on," Remus grumbled, rolling his eyes.   
  
~April 17 - Gryffindor common room~  
  
"I'm tired of studying," Peter whined.   
"Well, you have to study or else you won't pass into sixth year," Remus said, irritated. He was trying to write an essay for Astronomy, but Sirius and Lily were snogging on the couch, almost right in front of him. Geez, a guy couldn't get any peace in this place. He glanced over at James, who was also eyeing Sirius and Lily. He didn't look very happy about them either. Wait - what? No, it was true! James was keeping a close watch on Lily, and frowning. It hit Remus then, and he almost laughed out loud. Of course! It was so obvious! Why hadn't he thought of it before? James had a crush on Lily!  
Well, he still wasn't going to watch this for long. He cleared his throat loudly and said cheerfully, "Hello, Professor McGonagall!"  
Sirius and Lily jumped and let go of each other at once, blushing beet-red. Remus had to laugh.  
"You jerk!" Lily said. "You did that on purpose!"  
"Well, watching you swap spit wasn't helping my stomach any," Peter said. "Thanks, Remus."  
"I'm only *teasing*," Remus said to his rather indignant-looking friends. "Take it easy."  
"You know, sometimes I'd love to hate you, Moony," Lily scowled (she had taken to calling Remus 'Moony'. Heh. If she only knew).  
  
~May 1 - Gryffindor Tower~  
  
As quietly as possible, Serena Lupin slipped into her brother's dormitory.  
  
They wouldn't be here, that was for sure. She knew James had Quidditch practice, and she had seen Sirius, Remus, and Peter following him out to the field. It was a good thing those guys always stuck together like glue.   
Serena knelt by the trunk she wanted, marked 'S.B.'. "Might want to add an 'o' to that," she grumbled to herself, flicking open the latches and pushing the lid open.   
She rummaged around in Sirius' trunk quickly, but taking care to keep everything neat. Not that it mattered much. Sirius was a slob.  
Finally, she found what she was looking for. A plain black-and-white composition book, with 'Shove Off!' and 'PRIVATE!' written on the cover. Sniggering to herself, he tucked it into her pocket and hurried back up to her dorm. She was the only one there. Good, that was how she wanted it. Even Bunny couldn't know about this. She flipped the book open to the latest entry and read:  
  
-I admit it. I'm still in love with Remmie. But how am I supposed to explain that to Lil? She'll be heartbroken, and I don't want to do that to her. But I can't deny I still want Remmie more than anyone... I mean, just last night, I had this dream...-   
  
Serena's eyes grew wide as she read what followed. Sirius was thinking that about her *brother*? Sick!  
She thumbed through a few more pages, and was very surprised by what she read. Some of it could even classify as X-rated, and none of it was about Lily!  
After a few more minutes, she snuck back into Sirius' dorm and put the journal back where it belonged. Good. She skipped back to her dorm, smiling.  
"I've got the goods on him now," she said smugly to herself. "If he doesn't want Remus - or the whole school - to know what he dreams about, he'll do whatever I want. It's only a matter of time."  
  
~June 1 - Exam Week. O.W.L.s - Part 1, Transfiguration~  
  
It was stifling hot in McGonagall's room, where they were taking the Transfiguration part of their O.W.L.s, but Remus ignored the heat and the sweat on his forehead. He was concentrating as hard as he could on turning his desk into a pig - McGonagall was having everyone do it one-by one so as not to have the room overrun with pigs.  
He chanted the last part of the incantation, and - pop! - the desk turned into a large black-and-white sow.   
"Excellent, Lupin," McGonagall said. "Full marks."  
Remus breathed a sigh of relief, then scratched his pig behind the ears before transforming her back into his desk. He sat back down, much happier than he had been this morning. Transfiguration and Potions were the exams he was most concerned with, they were the subjects he had to really *work* at. To his surprise he seemed to have a natural talent at Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
McGonagall called Brian North up next. While he began his spell, Remus mentally contemplated his friends' results. Sirius and James had done their spells flawlessly - though Sirius' pig (what color? black, of course!) had decided to root through the wastebaskets, upsetting them and spilling crumpled bits of parchment and old apple cores across the floor. Lily's pig had also been perfect, and very well-tempered. It had been a shame to turn it back into a desk.  
Now it was Peter's turn. He did almost everything perfectly, reciting the incantations in a shaky voice. His pig came out almost as good - it still had a wood-grain pattern to its brown skin. Remus stifled a giggle at the wooden-looking pig as it gazed around the room, looking confused. Peter turned it back into his desk and sat down, blushing.   
  
~June 8 - O.W.L.s - Part 6, Potions~  
  
The other exam Remus dreaded had finally arrived. Professor Kirk had set them all into pairs and was watching them through narrowed eyes as they struggled to make an effective Invisibility Potion. James was Remus' partner this time, and together they managed to put the potion together quite well. It was good for Peter that his partner was Sirius, because Sirius didn't go to pieces in Potions.   
When it came time to test their potions, Professor Kirk went to each pair in turn and had them make an apple invisible. To receive full marks, the entire apple had to vanish for a full five minutes, and it couldn't have anything missing when Professor Kirk dripped the counter-potion into it. Both Remus and James heaved relieved sighs when their apple returned whole. So did Sirius' and Peter's; so did Lily's (she was partnered with her gossipy friend Debbie). Snape's and Malfoy's reappeared, but Crabbe and Goyle must have done something wrong. Instead of becoming invisible, a dotted-line outline of their apple remained. Sirius sniggered. It was only partially invisible!  
  
~June 13 - End of exams~  
  
"Free for a whole wonderful week," James sighed, rolling onto his back and putting an arm over his eyes. "I thought it'd never end!"  
"Me neither, it was torture," Remus agreed, tilting his face up to the hot sunlight. He truly loved summer weather; snow and ice made him feel ill even after a few minutes.  
"Remmie, you love tests," Sirius teased. "I'm surprised you didn't ask if you could take more!"  
"Ah, shut up," Remus replied cheerfully. "Even I can't take such stress."  
"But this *is* stressful!" Peter groused. "We have to wait until *July* to see our results!"  
Maybe that was stressful for *Peter*, he was the only one who didn't have enough confidence in his abilities. But you did have to admit, it was nerve-wracking to wait that long....  
"Don't worry about it, Pete," Remus said comfortingly.  
"I'm sure you passed," Lily said, smiling. "Cheer up and enjoy the weather."  
"Yeah, you're right," Peter said, brightening. "It's hard to be unhappy when it's so nice outside."  
"I think I did best on the Transfiguration exam," James mused.  
"You did a fantastic job," Remus said to him. "I think my best exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Maybe I'll teach that when I grow up."  
Sirius winced. "You're seriously thinking of becoming a professor?"  
"Why ever not?"  
"Well," Sirius hesitated, "You'd have to... follow rules, and set examples and stuff! It'd take all the fun out of life!"  
"Maybe for you," said Remus composedly, "But I think teaching would be a good job."  
"You could write a book," suggested Lily.  
"I could do that," Remus agreed. "But teaching would have to earn me money while I'm writing."  
"True."  
"You know what I'd like to be?" Sirius said.  
"I'm afraid to ask," James teased.  
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Jim. I wanna be a dragon killer -oooo, no, how about a vampire slayer?"  
"Ew," Lily said, wrinkling her nose. "Too much blood for me, thanks."  
  
~June 29 - King's Cross Station~  
  
Remus and Serena dragged their trunks and Remus' owl's cage over to the place where their parents and Gill stood waiting. Mrs. Lupin seized both her children in a tight hug, giving them both noisy kisses on the cheeks. Remus was heartily embarrassed, because Lily, Peter, Sirius and James had emerged from Platform 9 3/4 just in time to see this. Thankfully, they pretended not to notice.   
Remus struggled out of his mother's grasp and turned to his friends. "G'bye, guys," he said, still blushing.  
"G'bye, Remmie," Sirius said cheerfully. "We gotta get out camping again this summer."  
"Definitely," James agreed. "We'll owl you and make plans."  
"We can go to the water park, too, maybe," said Peter.  
"Sounds good," Remus replied. "Like the - *lake*, huh?" He winked, and they all sniggered, remembering the prefects' bathroom.  
"Have a nice summer, Remus," Lily said shyly, as her father hoisted her trunk onto his shoulder.  
"You too, Lil." Remus smiled.  
She kissed the tip of her finger, touched his cheek, and left.  
"There's my parents," Peter said. "Goodbye, guys."  
"Goodbye, Pete."  
They watched the Pettigrews leave, then James and Sirius turned to Remus. Sirius cast a quick look over at Remus' parents (who weren't paying attention to them; they were talking to Bunny Chikamatsu's parents), then muttered, "You need us to stay with you, just owl us, ok?"  
"We'll come straight away," James added.  
Remus felt like crying, but held it in. He cried too much. "Thanks, guys," he said, touched. "I will."  
  
"Come on, Rem," Gill hailed his younger brother. "We're going!"  
"Coming," Remus replied, then smiled shyly at his friends, starting to hold out his hand. Sirius, of course, pulled him into a bone-crushing hug and kissed his forehead (Remus turned scarlet), but James settled for a friendly punch on the arm.   
"See you next year, mate."  
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Sirius advised.   
"There isn't anything *you* wouldn't do," Remus interrupted, smiling.  
Sirius rolled his eyes and ignored that last. "But if you do, name it after me."  
"Sirius!"  
"Yes! That's perfect!"  
"You're a dunderhead," Remus sighed, and left, hearing Sirius' delighted giggles.   
Perhaps there was still a chance.  
  
  
To Be Continued  
  
(Coming Soon : Year 6! Snape won't leave Remus alone, and it almost gets him killed. Lily learns something surprising, James gets a lovely surprise, and Serena puts her plan into action. And Peter stays Peter. No surprise there.)  
  
  
  



	6. Year 6 Sirius Plays A Prank

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... I also don't own Siri's quote a little later in this story ("No more be griev'd... ...in sweetest bud..."). That belongs to the admirable William Shakespeare, it's the first four lines of his thirty-fifth sonnet. I don't own the Arithmancy teacher, Professor Mizuno (Sailor Mercury), or the Divination teacher, Professor Tomoe (Sailor Saturn) who belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. Nor do I own 'Green Eggs and Ham', which is property of Dr. Suess.   
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Some serious stuff this time (maybe) but no graphic stuff..... sorry to disappoint you.... but I can't write that stuff, I giggle like mad and get silly. Plus I don't want my parents barging into my room at any minute (like they so often do) and seeing what I wrote. eep.  
  
Pardon my timeline, I know the years are wrong. But it's too late to change it now. Besides, I only found out Harry was born in 1980 just last Saturday.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 6 - Sirius Plays a Prank  
  
~July 13, 1980 - Remus' bedroom~  
  
It was Peter's snoring that woke Remus up that morning. He sat up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair. Right. It was Peter. How could he not have known?  
With a groan, Remus flopped back down and rolled over on his side to look at his friends. Peter was flat on his back, explaining the snores. He always snored when he was on his back, but he was too heavy for Remus to push him onto his side. James was sleeping on his stomach, his head turned to the side. His messy bangs fluttered with his breath, and Remus smiled. Sirius was in his usual position - curled up on his left side, one hand under his pillow and the other curled into a fist just under his jaw. His face was entirely hidden by his hair, and Remus marveled that he hadn't suffocated to death yet.  
They had just gotten their O.W.L. results the day before last - Remus, James, and Sirius had received twelve each, and Peter had gotten ten (to his enormous relief and amazement). So Remus' mother had agreed (actually, it had been her idea) to have a little party/sleepover to celebrate.   
  
Remus' owl, Rose, fluttered in through the window and landed on his bedside table, a note bound to her leg. Remus sat up and took it. It was from Lily. He read it - it was congratulations on their O.W.L. results, and the news she had gotten twelve as well. Remus smiled. He'd expect no less from her.  
As he was reading, there was another flutter of wings, and Remus looked up, startled. He groaned inwardly at the sight. The new arrival was not an owl - it was a glossy black raven. Remus knew it on sight. It was Snape's. With a sigh, he reluctantly took the letter it offered. Snape had written a few other letters to Remus over the summer (what little there *was* of it, Remus thought sourly), and it was driving him mad.  
"I'm not writing back to him," he said crossly to the raven, "So you might as well go."  
The raven gave him an offended look and left. Remus sighed and stroked Rose's back, hiding Snape's letter in the drawer of his nightstand with the others.   
Peter stopped snoring abruptly, and sat up. "G'morning, Remmie," he mumbled blearily.  
"G'morning, Pete. Give Jim a poke. We might as well go down for breakfast; it's almost nine."  
He slipped out of bed and knelt beside Sirius' sleeping bag. He brushed Sirius' long hair away from his face and said, "Time to get up, Siri."  
Sirius grumbled.  
"Now."  
"Don' wanna."  
"Now," commanded Remus, unzippering Sirius' sleeping bag, then pulling the pillows out from under his head. "It's time to eat."  
"Still don' wanna."  
James sat up and put his glasses on. "Come on, Siri. It's your own fault were were up so late last night."  
"How so?" Sirius grumbled. His eyes were still shut, but at least his speech was becoming coherent.  
"Hide-and-go-seek in the pitch dark," James growled.  
"You didn't have to play if you didn't want to."  
"If we hadn't, you would have played by yourself."  
"It's pretty hard to play hide-and-go-seek by *yourself*, Jim."  
"Stop arguing," Remus said, even though he knew they were just kidding. "Come on, Mum'll have breakfast waiting."  
But the kitchen was almost deserted when they entered. The only person there was Serena (who was eyeing Sirius with undisguised interest - he was wearing pajama bottoms and nothing else).  
"Mum says you'll have to make your own breakfast," she said, still staring at Sirius, who didn't seem the least bit fazed. "Mum and Daddy left for Diagon Alley about half an hour ago. What took you so long getting up?"  
Remus shrugged, and opened the back door to get the milk. "We just felt like sleeping in."  
Serena stuck her tongue out at him and flounced from the room. Sirius shook his head and slumped into a chair. "How can you stand her, Remmie? She still looks at me like I'm... Boy George, or something."  
"BOY GEORGE?!" James hooted. "Siri!"  
"I know, awful metaphor," Sirius admitted with a laugh. "What are we eating, Remmie? Not porridge, I know."  
Remus was touched - he didn't picture Sirius as bothering to memorize his friends' Most Hated Foods Lists. "Cereal," he said. "Your pick."  
"An inspired chef," James said sarcastically.  
"It's either that or nothing."  
"I'll take nothing, then."  
"Have it your way," Remus said, shooting him a smoking glare and closing the cereal cupboard. (Yes, in the Lupin home, they have an entire cupboard dedicated to cereal.)  
"Oh, I was just kidding, Moony!" James whined when he saw that Remus was serious.   
"So was I," Remus said sweetly, dropping his disagreeable manner at once.  
"You're such a tease."   
"I know you are, but what am I!" James and Sirius shouted in unison.   
Remus held up his hands in mock-horror. "You've been Americanized!"  
  
~Sirius' Journal - August 3~  
  
-I *should* tell Lil, shouldn't I? I know I should, but I don't think I have the courage. Huh. Me in Gryffindor, and I don't have the courage to break the news to Lil. Well, not many people would. Sigh.... I really want to be with Remmie. D'you know, the daft sod doesn't even know he's beautiful? He was so beautiful on that morning I was at his house.... try to picture it! His hair was all messed up from sleeping, and when he stood in the sunshine it went from light brown to gold... looked so soft... I wanted to run my fingers through it.... I know the silver in it makes him paranoid, but I think it's simply gorgeous. And his *eyes*... I could go on about his eyes forever, but if I did I'd get a writer's cramp. Suffice it to say.... you could get lost in them. Drown in them. And *like* it.   
You can see his scars when he wears t-shirts. He doesn't wear them very often, but he was wearing one that morning. His right arm is okay, only one or two on it, but his poor left arm looks like he'd been attacked by... oh, I dunno, a dog with big teeth or something. Eep. Bad choice. But you know what I mean. You can even tell how old the scars are... the newest ones are kind of pink, but the old ones are white... It makes me want to cry, you know? Someone as gentle, and sweet, and loving as Remmie... only to be cursed like that. I think that's one of the reasons why I love him so much. He's got so much patience and gentleness, and more courage than you'd expect.... -   
  
~September 1 - the Hogwarts Express~  
  
James was watching Remus, who was deeply immersed in 'Spells, Curses, and Counter-Curses For All Occasions'. "Haven't you finished that book yet?" he asked incredulously. "You've been reading it since second year!"  
"Oh, I finished it ages and ages ago," Remus replied, looking up from his book with a smile. "But I thought I'd read it again."  
"Anything in there good enough to use on Snape?"  
"Some of it, maybe," sighed Remus, "But you know he knows more curses than anyone else at school. No doubt none of it would be new to him. He's probably have the counter-curse all ready before I could even finish saying the spell."  
"True, true," said James, and unwrapped a Chocolate Frog, glancing at the card. "Circe again. I have about ten of her at home." He looked around. "Hey, is it just me, or is Padfoot missing?"  
"Neuter that dog," Remus mumbled. "He's with Lily."  
"I should have guessed."   
"They're almost joined at the hip."  
"Well, there are worse people Siri could be joined with," James said. "Snape, for instance. Or how about Lucius Malfoy?"  
"Jim! I'd like to keep my breakfast down, please!" Remus said, and they giggled.  
"Okay, I won't do it again," James promised. He got up and stretched. "I think I'll go find them and haul them in here."  
Remus quirked an eyebrow. "You'll just be moving the snog-fest in here."  
"But then we can giggle at them and flip Every Flavor Beans at Siri."  
Remus chuckled at the thought. "Okay. But *you're* buying the beans."  
"Will do," James said, saluting, and left the compartment.   
Remus sat in silence for a few minutes, reading (Peter was off at the other end of the train for awhile; Remus had a suspicion he was talking to Grace Addams). It was rare to have complete silence, considering his friends, so he enjoyed it. Until Snape came in. Ugh. Groan.  
"Hello, Severus," Remus mumbled, not bothering to look up from his book.  
"How come you never wrote back to me this summer?" Snape demanded without even saying hello.  
"You nearly rape me and you expect me to answer your *love letters*?" Remus asked in disgust.   
Snape flushed. "They weren't love letters. You didn't read them, did you?"  
"No."  
"Why *not*?!"  
"Because I don't want anything to do with you, Severus!" Remus shouted, surprising even himself.  
  
"Moony? What's all the shouting?" James asked curiously from the doorway. He had returned, with Sirius and Lily in tow. His eyes narrowed when he saw Snape standing there. "What do you want, Snape?"  
"Nothing that concerns *you*," Snape said icily. He pushed past them and swept off down the aisle to rejoin his friends.  
"What was *that* all about?" Lily asked, sliding the door shut behind her.  
"Nothing, he's just being a stupid great prat," Remus said. They looked as if they didn't believe him, but evidently they decided not to press the matter. He went back to his book. Only to be disturbed by Sirius (who else?).   
Sirius sat down next to him and rested his head on Remus' shoulder. "What'cha reading?"  
"The same book he's been reading for the past four years," James answered.  
"Boy, Moony, you're a slow reader."  
"This is about the third time I've read it," Remus sighed. "You dolt," he couldn't resist adding.  
Sirius gave him an offended look. "Call me names. I don't care. But I won't share my chocolate-covered cherries with you. Lily had five."  
Now, if there was one sweet in the world that Remus loved above all others, it was chocolate-covered cherries. Well. He'd have to get some of those.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Siri," he said sweetly. "I won't call you a dolt anymore."  
Sirius pouted. "But you'll call me something else. No, no cherries for you."  
"Please?" Remus begged. "You know they're my favorite."  
Lily giggled. "Oh, Siri, give him some! Look at those eyes!"  
Sirius tried to scowl, but Remus' pleading look made him laugh. "Okay, okay! I give up." he said, pulling the box out of his pocket. "But you can't call me a dolt anymore, okay?"  
"Okay," Remus said cheerfully. He took a few cherries. "You dodo."  
"Hey!" Sirius whined. "Lil! He insulted me! Again!"  
"You never said he couldn't call you a dodo," Lily chuckled.  
  
~September 9 - 11:00 PM~  
  
Lily was sitting alone in the common room, finishing up some homework. She was one of the few students still up. Sirius had gone off with James and Peter, probably to look for Remus, who hadn't come back from dinner. It was okay with her. She liked Sirius a lot, but she wasn't sure if she loved him. Well, she loved him, but her love had been more of a friendship thing than a romance thing since the very beginning. Not that she didn't mind being known as Sirius Black's girlfriend. She got a lot of envious looks in the halls from girls who had huge crushes on Sirius. And Sirius had given her her very first kiss, too. Okay, at first it had been love, or at least infatuation, on her part. But it was hard to ignore the way Sirius was around Remus... though they both denied loving each other (and they had been *so close* in fourth year, Lily thought in near-agony), she was sure something was going on with them.... and there was something between Remus and Snape, too. It was driving her nearly mad with worry.   
  
~September 10 - 1:00 AM- the Shrieking Shack~  
  
Padfoot whined uncomfortably. Something was wrong tonight, very wrong, but he couldn't put a finger -er, a paw - on it.  
Well, there *was* the absence of Prongs. James had had to stay up at the castle tonight, something about a prefects' meeting after patrol duty. There wasn't any possible way he could get out of it, he had said, looking desperately unhappy and sorry. Remus had told him not to worry, everything would be fine, he wasn't going to hold it against him. "You're not going to skip something important just for me," Remus had told him, in the firm tone which made it quite plain there was going to be no argument. "Padfoot and Wormtail will be perfectly capable of handling me. We won't even leave the Shack."  
Remus could say whatever he wanted, but Sirius was sure Padfoot alone wouldn't be enough.  
And now Padfoot was lying on the foot of the four-poster bed, watching Moony. Wormtail sat up between Padfoot's front paws and squeaked. Moony growled, and Padfoot tensed. This did not sound good. But Moony just got up and paced around the room, pausing every now and then to sniff the air. He did this for a very long time, making Padfoot nervous, but around five Moony curled up on the floor and closed his eyes. Padfoot relaxed, relieved. He put his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. He needed his sleep before classes.  
A sudden squeak from Wormtail made him prick up his ears, but before he could move, Moony uttered a wild howl and leapt on him.  
Padfoot barked in alarm; but his barks turned to howl of agony as Moony's claws dug deep into his back, tearing through skin and heavy fur, blood spraying the bed. Padfoot did the only thing he could - he rolled over. He and Moony tumbled off the bed, Moony pinned underneath. But not for long - he was quite fast and slippery, and squirmed out from under Padfoot. Padfoot struggled to his feet, his legs trembling, moaning when he saw the blood splashed and streaked across the floor. Moony wheeled around and snarled, preparing to spring - Wormtail was squeaking madly -  
  
The door flew open with a smash, and Prongs stood silhouetted in the doorway for a mere second, taking in the sight before him. Then he charged, bowling the surprised Moony over onto his back. And finally, some sense of realization came to the wolf, and he cowered, whining, and licked Prongs' nose to show he was harmless. Padfoot moaned, sank to the ground, and knew no more.  
  
~September 10 - 7 AM - Gryffindor Tower~  
  
"Siri, wake up!"  
Sirius opened his eyes, then bit his lip hard to keep from screaming out loud. His back felt like it was on fire. Remus, Peter, and James were standing by his bed, ashen-faced. He looked around wildly and had to bite back another scream of pain. His friends must have brought him up here from the Shrieking Shack themselves. No easy feat, considering Remus' condition.   
"God, Siri, I thought......" James trailed off, then said softly, "How bad does it hurt?"  
"Like someone's taken a torch to my back," Sirius groaned.   
Remus sat down on his bed and began to cry. "Oh, God, Siri, I'm so sorry," he sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. "I - I - I couldn't help it...... I could have *killed* you......"  
"Don't cry, Remmie," Sirius ground out from between clenched teeth.   
"We've got to do something about this before he bleeds all over the place," James said, taking careful hold of Sirius' shoulder and helping him sit up. "I've got to get your robes and shirt off, Siri, this is going to hurt.... I'm sorry."  
"Just do it, Jim," Sirius said, trying to brace himself.   
His robes came off easy; but his shirt was matted to his back with blood. James winced, closed his eyes, and pulled.  
Sirius turned his head into his pillow at once to stifle the scream of pain; the long, ragged gashes on his back began bleeding again, though somewhat sluggishly.   
"Okay," said James, looking pale and somehow not himself, "You got everything I told you to, right, Pete?"  
Peter nodded, looking a tad green at the mess.   
"Okay, I need a basin of water," James said. Remus ran to fetch it, and James began to ever-so-carefully dab away the blood on Siri's back.  
"Why can't we take him to Madame Pomfrey?" Peter asked unhappily.  
"Because this is *really* serious," Sirius moaned. "She'll *have* to ask what happened for me to get this way, and then we'll be in a whole mess of trouble...'  
"He's right," James said. "We're just going to have to heal this up the Muggle way. You're gonna have some scars, Siri."  
It took them nearly an hour to properly clean Sirius' wounds and bandage them. But they had stopped bleeding again by the time James applied the bandages, and Remus insisted that Sirius take three aspirin to dull the pain. Cleaning up his clothes wouldn't be that bad, they could have Bubby do it for them, he'd never breathe a word.   
Remus sat back down on the bed, still teary-eyed. "I'm so sorry, Sirius," he whispered.   
"It's all right, I know you couldn't help it," Sirius said. "I'll live."   
He took Remus' hand and recited softly: "'No more be grieved at what thou hast done; roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud; clouds and eclipses stain both sun and moon; and loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.' Shakespeare," he added, seeing James and Peter's puzzled looks. "His thirty-fifth sonnet, I believe."  
"What does it mean?" Peter asked.  
"It means that Remmie shouldn't feel bad about doing something he had no control over," James replied. "Being a werewolf is part of him, and even the most beautiful things have flaws..."  
Remus looked up at Sirius, brushing away his tears. "Is that really what you meant?"  
"Yeah, but I thought it sounded classier Shakespeare's way," Sirius mumbled, blushing. Remus could have kissed him just then, and almost did - but Peter (perhaps noticing this) spoke up timidly.   
"It's almost time for class," he said. "Shouldn't we be going? We've already missed breakfast."  
"Right, Pete," sighed James. "Let's see if we can't get Siri dressed."  
They managed that without much trouble, even though Sirius' tie constantly chafed at his neck through his collar. It wasn't too bad up there, just enough scratches to hurt whenever he turned his head...   
He slung his bag over his shoulder (with more than a little pain), and asked, "Do I *look* okay?"  
"Well," James said, studying him thoughtfully, "You're kind of slouched over, but other than that you look okay."  
Sirius made a valiant effort to stand up straighter. "This is going to be hell," he muttered.  
  
~September 17 - Great Hall~  
  
"Siri, are you *sure* you're all right?" Lily asked, concerned.  
"Never been better," Sirius mumbled, wincing as a twinge of pain crept up his back.  
Lily raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the subject. All week long she had been asking what was wrong with him. He seemed like he was in intense pain, and she suspected it was his back. She had made the mistake of giving him a tight hug in Herbology the other day, and he had scared everyone in the greenhouse when he screamed. *That* had been embarrassing for Lily, but Sirius had just waved off the class' concern and Professor Farris' anxious questions by saying he had pulled a muscle the other day, and sometimes he had a painful twinge in his back. Lily apologized over and over, until Sirius kissed her cheek and told her not to worry. Yeah, there was something wrong with his back, but Lily believed the pulled muscle story like she believed the moon was made of cheese. He was covered in bandages, for one thing; it didn't take a dolt to figure that out. She could feel them through his shirt when she hugged him. She also suspected he hadn't made any attempt to see Madame Pomfrey about it, and that made her doubly suspicious.   
  
Lily wasn't the only one getting suspicious. Snape had been noticing the way Sirius acted too, and wondered what he had been doing to hurt his back so bad. Maybe it was from all the sneaking around he and his stupid friends were doing. Several times last year, he had seen Black, Potter, and Pettigrew leaving the castle after supper, but they never returned until morning, usually with Lupin in tow, which puzzled Snape, because he *knew* Lupin hadn't been with them the night before. And there was the matter of Lupin himself. When he and his friends returned to the school, Lupin always looked pale and ill, and on more than one occasion Snape had noticed bandages peeking out from under the sleeves of Lupin's robes. There was something suspicious going on.   
"What do you think they're up to?" he asked Lucius abruptly.   
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "You're still on about them, Severus?" he asked in disbelief. "What's so fascinating about them?"  
"I think they're up to something," Snape growled. "And something's happened to Black that he won't admit to. They're probably sneaking around at night, and Filch only caught them once so far."  
"So what do you propose to do?" Lucius asked.   
"Imagine if we could get them expelled," Snape said.  
"Wouldn't that be lovely," Lucius sighed.   
  
~October 3 - Honeydukes'~  
  
"Hurry up, Pete," Remus sighed, watching Peter debate between buying a package of Jelly Slugs ('New Flavor! Wintergreen!') or a box of Exploding Bon-Bons.   
"Oh, but I can't decide!" Peter whined.  
"I say, go with the Slugs, Pete," Sirius said cheerfully (his back was hurting far less lately, and his mood had improved greatly). "I'd rather not have my sweets explode in my face."  
"You're right," sighed Peter, choosing the Jelly Slugs. "Besides, I really like Wintergreen."  
It was another Hogsmeade Weekend, and just for fun the Marauders had used their secret passage to get into Honeydukes'. The cellar door opened up right behind the counter, so there had been an awkward moment when they found themselves standing right behind one of the owners - but they had ducked, slipped under the counter, and were relieved to see that no one had noticed them. And they had found themselves in front of the two candies that Peter wanted, when he only had enough money for one.  
"I'll just get the Exploding Bon-Bons next time," Peter said, munching on a Slug as they left the shop.   
"Good idea," James sniggered. "You can give one to Snape."  
They wandered through Hogsmeade, more or less heading to the post office so James could send a letter to him parents (his own owl was currently off delivering a birthday package to on of James' cousins), discussing the Chudley Cannons' increased chance in the upcoming Quidditch Final. Just outside the post office, they were waylaid by Snape and his cronies - Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.  
"Well, well," Lucius sneered. "Look who it is, Snape."  
"I think he has *eyes*, Malfoy," Sirius said, rolling his own.   
Lucius bristled, but Snape merely smirked. "I've been meaning to talk to you, Black."  
"Yeah, well, I don't feel like talking to you, so shove off," Sirius snapped.   
"I can't even ask you a question?" Snape said, his unpleasant smile growing wider.   
"No, I won't make out with you," Sirius replied, making James snigger and Snape flush. But instead of commenting, he apparently chose to ignore it, and plowed on ahead.  
"What happened to your back?"  
Sirius sighed, a heavy sigh of a person damned to answer questions even when they didn't feel like it. "I pulled a muscle. I get a twinge sometimes. It feels lots better now. Thanks for your concern, now beat it."  
"Well, I think you might be lying," Snape said smugly from between Crabbe and Goyle (the only reason Sirius hadn't tried to punch him in the nose - he really didn't want two ten-ton gorillas landing on him). "Sneaking around the castle at night, haven't you?"  
"Get stuffed, Snape," James sighed. "You've just got the *biggest* nose I've ever seen. Can't you mind your own business for once?"  
"I think *someone* should do something if you're breaking the rules," Snape continued as if he hadn't heard. "I should go to the Headmaster and inform him of what you're up to..."  
"You can't go on your own suspicions, you'd need proof," Remus spoke up suddenly. Snape glared at him, and the look in his eyes made it clear that the incidents over the past two years weren't forgotten.   
"I could get some proof if I wanted to," Snape snarled. "Filch caught you once; I'm willing to bet he's got plenty on you."  
"That doesn't prove a thing," Remus asked, a tad defiantly. "Filch hates everyone." He turned on his heel and walked away. Sirius and James exchanged a Look, then hurried after him.  
"D'you think Remmie's not telling us something?" Sirius muttered to James and Peter.  
  
~October 7, 2:00 PM (Full Moon) - The Library~  
  
"I'll be right back, okay, Siri?" Lily asked, getting up. "I forgot something upstairs."  
"Sure you don't want me to come?" Sirius asked.  
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl. I think I can manage."  
"All righty then."  
Lily dashed out of the library (seemed like only prefects could run in the library without getting caught by Madame Pince, Sirius thought). Sirius kept working on his Herbology homework ('Describe the healing properties of the Venomous Tentacula'). Then a shadow fell over him and he looked up. 'That was fast', he meant to say, thinking it was Lily, but it wasn't Lily. It was Remus' stupid sister.  
"Hello, Sirius," she said sweetly, looking down at him.   
"What is it, Serena?" Sirius asked.  
She sat down in Lily's vacated chair and gave him a very odd smile that he didn't like. "I wanted to ask you something."  
"Go ahead, if you'll go away after I answer," Sirius grumbled.  
"Been having fun in that hammock with my brother lately?"  
Sirius nearly upset his ink bottle. "*WHAT*?! What are you talking about?"  
She just smiled at him, her eyes glinting with a cold light. Sirius gulped. How, how in the *world* did she know about *that* dream? He hadn't mentioned it out loud, not ever, hadn't told anyone. He had only written about it in his jou-  
"You *bitch*," he said helplessly. "You read my journal, didn't you?"  
"That's right," Serena said. "Naughty, naughty, you are. If your mother knew about any of that - pah! You'd never leave the house for a thousand years!" Her nasty smile widened. "But you wouldn't want anyone to know about that, would you?"  
"That's why I had it written in my *own*, *PRIVATE*, journal," Sirius growled. "How did *you* get into it? Stole it from my trunk, most likely."  
"Well," she said sweetly, running a finger along his cheek, "You *especially* wouldn't want Remus to hear any of that, would you?"  
  
The world just stopped for a moment there. Sirius' breath grew very ragged and quick, and he was aware that his hands were shaking. No. None of that, absolutely *none* of that could ever reach Remus' ears. Sirius would rather slit his own wrists rather than admit to the fantasies and dreams he harbored of Remus. And Lil - if Lil found out.......  
"Don't tell him," Sirius said harshly. "Don't you *dare*."  
"I just might," Serena said, studying her fingernails. "He should know, shouldn't he? But..." -she looked up at him, her eyes glinting dangerously under her bangs - "I might *not* tell him. If you'll do one thing for me."  
"What is it?" Sirius asked, longing to curse her.  
"If you'll go out with me... be my boyfriend... I might... *forget* everything I read," she said.  
Sirius moaned, hiding his face in his hands.  
Serena got up, smoothing a wrinkle out of her skirt and smirking. "Since I'm so nice, I'll give you a while to think about it. See you later."  
She left, leaving poor Sirius to his confused thoughts. How had life ever become so *complicated*? All he ever wanted to do in life was go to school and learn magic! Why, oh WHY did it have to involve blackmail, denial, werewolves, and Snape?! Not that he was blaming Remus....  
"Sirius?"  
He jumped, then turned to see Lily had returned and was looking at him in concern. "Is everything okay?"  
"Uh, sure," Sirius said. Right now, he didn't want company. He needed to go for a walk and think. "I've just got to.... I forgot to do something. I'll be back, okay?"  
"Okay," Lily said uncertainly, watching as he packed up his Herbology work and hurried out of the library.  
  
~Slytherin common room~  
  
"Give it *up*, Severus," sighed Lucius. "You can't pin *anything* on Potter and his friends. They're probably as sneaky - or sneakier - than even *we* can be."  
"I know they're up to something!" Snape shouted, making people glance around at him. He lowered his voice and hissed at Lucius, "Black's not telling the truth. You saw him. And Lupin.... where *does* he go when he disappears? I've *seen* him - Madame Pomfrey takes him out to the Whomping Willow -"  
"I heard his mother is ill," Lucius said mildly, not bothered by Snape's behavior. "Maybe he's just visiting her."  
Snape grumbled something incoherent and stormed out of the common room. Lucius' apathy was driving him mad. He wandered out onto the grounds, so lost in his thoughts he bumped straight into someone.  
"Watch where you're going, Snape!" a familiar voice snapped. Great. It was Black.  
"Get that hair out of your eyes and maybe you'd see me coming," Snape retorted. "What are you doing?"  
"Are you still accusing me of sneaking around and breaking rules?" Sirius sneered. "I'd think you had better things to do, you jerk. Go kiss Lucius or something."  
"Look who's talking," Snape said coldly. "High words from the one who's been shagging Lupin. Is that where he disappears to? Is that where you go to meet him? Some little love nest in the woods where the two of you can get off?"  
By now, Sirius' nerves were severely strained. Worrying about Serena and listening to Snape... finally, he had reached the breaking point, and his temper, that horrid beast he could never control once it was roused, took over.  
"Do you really want to know where Remus goes?!" he shouted. "Find out tonight - take a stick and poke the knot on that damned Whomping Willow! See where it takes you, you bastard!" He stormed off, his head buzzing with anger. But by the time he reached the entrance hall, he was mentally kicking himself. What had he done? Why had he told Snape that?   
His only hope now was the thought that perhaps Snape wouldn't be stupid enough to try it.  
  
~October 7 - 9:00 PM~  
  
Snape ran across the grounds, his black cloak flying out behind him and making him seem like a giant bat. He had been watching from the library windows tonight, and true to Black's word, he had seen Madame Pomfrey leading Lupin across the grounds to the Willow.  
He stopped out of range of the Willow's flailing branches, and searched around for a few minutes until he saw a long branch that would do the trick. Cautiously, he approached the tree and prodded the knot. To his amazement, the Willow froze. Not a branch moved. And it revealed something Snape had never noticed before - a tunnel opening at the base of the tree.  
With a wicked grin, Snape cast the branch aside and hurried into the tunnel.  
  
~Meanwhile, Gryffindor common room~  
  
"You told him *WHAT*?!" James screamed.  
"I told him how to get past the Willow!" Sirius yelled back. "D'you think I *wanted* to?! It was an *accident*!"  
"He could get killed!" James roared. "Sirius, you stupid bloody *WANKER*, if he does this, it's your hands his blood will be on!"  
"D'you think I don't KNOW that?!" Sirius shouted.  
"He's probably on his way down already!" James shouted. He turned and ran out of the common room, and down seven flights of stairs, through the entrance hall, and burst through the front doors. He looked wildly around for Snape. Just as he turned his gaze on the Whomping Willow, it stopped moving. In horror, James realized he could see Snape disappearing into the tunnel. He dashed across the grounds, ready to slide into the tunnel and catch up with Snape -   
*WHACK*. One of the Willow's branches hit James in the arm, sending him flying backwards. He rolled over and winced. He hadn't been quick enough - the Willow had started moving again. Panting, he fumbled about on the ground, and his had hit something. It was a long branch, probably the same one Snape had used. Pulling himself to his feet and dodging another branch, James poked the tree's knot.  
The Willow froze once more, and James raced into the open tunnel. If only it wasn't too late....  
  
Snape was running flat out along the passage, an evil smirk spreading across his face. Finally, he'd find out what Lupin was hiding... He could get Lupin back for what he had put him through....  
He had reached a staircase. "Lumos!" he muttered, and held his lit wand up. At the top of the staircase was a trapdoor, and it didn't appear to be locked.  
"Severus!"  
He looked down, startled. Standing on the bottom stair was James Potter, breathing heavily.  
"Severus, you've got to come back with me now," James said desperately. "Get down, hurry!"  
Snape sneered. "Don't want me finding out, Potter? Don't want me to see Lupin crying like a sissy - over Black, no doubt...."  
James ignored the insult. "You can't be here, it's dangerous," he said quickly.  
"Just a peek," Snape snarled, and lifted the trapdoor.  
  
A wild howl rent the silence when he opened the trapdoor. A wave of panic and fear hit Snape when he saw what was waiting for him on the other side. An enormous, shaggy grey wolf, its nose pointed upward in a howl. Its ferocious yellow eyes turned on him, gleaming with hunger and bloodlust. Snape froze in horror. It snarled at him, preparing to spring, and as it crouched, James grabbed Snape, pulled him down, and slammed the trapdoor shut. There was a hard thud as the wolf landed on the trapdoor. James began pulling Snape up the passage, running hard. Snape finally recovered his wits and managed to choke out, "What... was that?! Not.. as *werewolf*?!"  
James hauled him out of the passage and past the Willow, dodging the branches which waved warningly at them. They trudged across the grounds, and James hung his head.  
"Yes, Severus," he said quietly.  
"It was Lupin," Snape said, more to himself then James, thunderstruck. James winced at his words, and Snape realized he was right. So that's what was going on.. Lupin was a werewolf....  
"Severus. James," a grave voice called, and both boys looked up to see Albus Dumbledore standing at the front door of the castle. He looked utterly serious, and the cheerful twinkle that normally shone in his blue eyes was missing. They approached him cautiously.   
"I'd like to talk to you both in my office, please," Dumbledore said quietly.  
Not daring to look at one another, they followed him to his office and meekly seated themselves in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore sat down in his own chair with a heavy sigh, and turned his piercing blue gaze on Snape. "What happened, Severus?"  
With occasional additions from James, Snape told him the whole story, about getting past the Willow, and seeing Lupin, and how James had saved him. When he finished, Dumbledore said softly, "And how did you know how to get past the Willow, Severus?"  
"Sirius told him by accident," James spoke up. "I don't know what's *with* him lately... but he lost control of his temper and told Snape what to do..."  
"I see," Dumbledore said. "Thank you, James... I think you should go to bed now. I'd like to talk to Severus alone for a few minutes."  
James nodded and left. When he was gone, Dumbledore turned back to Snape with a slight frown. "Severus, I must request something of you," he said soberly.  
"Yes, sir?"  
"You must never tell *anyone* what you saw tonight," Dumbledore said, putting a hand on Snape's shoulder. "Not one word. Remus' privacy must be upheld. Any news of this would send the school into a panic, and Remus would have to leave. I must impress upon you how serious this is. You cannot breathe a word. Do you promise?"  
Snape looked into Dumbledore's eyes, saw the weariness and worry reflected in them, and nodded. "Yes, sir. I promise."  
  
~October 8 - Hospital Wing~  
  
Remus opened his eyes and winced at the pain. Last night had been horrible. After Snape had gone, the wolf had taken over completely, furious at the escape of its victim, and taken every ounce of its rage out on Remus. He was heavily bandaged and in terrible pain, despite all Madame Pomfrey could possibly do.  
"Hi, Remmie," a voice said timidly from his side. It was Sirius, sitting beside his bed and looking terrified, his skin a ghostly white. James and Peter were nowheres to be seen.  
"Siri..." Remus said groggily, sitting up painfully. "What... what *happened* last night? Snape..."  
"He got in after you," Sirius whispered. "He wanted to see where you went every month. I think he thought... I dunno what he thought..... but..... he got in, and Jim saved him from you..."  
Remus' mouth went dry. "How did he get in?" he whispered. "How did he know?"  
Sirius hung his head, his ebony hair hanging over his face like a shroud. "I.......... I told him how."  
Remus stared at him, struck dumb by the news. His brain struggled to take it in. Sirius, one of his best friends... had *told* Snape how to get in?.....  
Obviously frightened by Remus' silence, Sirius looked up, a pleading expression in his eyes. "I didn't mean to do it, Remmie.... it was an accident.... please believe me...."  
"I could have killed him," Remus said hoarsely, the horrifying realization dawning on him. "Sirius, I could have *killed* him!"  
"I'm sorry," Sirius murmured sadly. "I'm so sorry..."  
"You *knew* I'd go after him," Remus said, anger beginning to mix with his fear. "You *knew* it, Sirius. You *wanted* him to get hurt, or killed, didn't you? And you.... you... *used* me....."  
"I didn't mean to!" Sirius said, reaching for Remus' hand, which he pulled away. "Remmie, I swear I didn't want it to come to that! It... just slipped out... he was saying stuff and I..... I couldn't....."  
"I don't want to hear it, Sirius," Remus said, glaring at him with something incredibly like hatred in his eyes. "You know how hard it is for me to.... to... *cope*.... I don't want to hear what you have to say. Go away. Go home. Go to Mars. Go hang yourself, for all I care.... just GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"  
Sirius flinched, getting to his feet. "Remmie...."  
"No." Remus said, looking away from him. "Go away, Sirius. You've done enough damage for now."  
  
~Gryffindor common room~  
  
"I can't believe you'd do something like that!" Lily said helplessly to Sirius, who rubbed his forehead and sighed.   
"I didn't mean to," he muttered. "It was Snape...."  
Lily sat and stared at him, overwhelmed. Sirius had just confessed everything to her, probably in hopes of some comfort and forgiveness, but she wasn't giving him either. The news that Remus was a werewolf didn't surprise her at all - she was a bright girl, and had suspected it for some time - but the news that Sirius had betrayed poor Remus like that had left her utterly shocked. As she sat there, stunned and disbelieving, James and Peter entered the common room and came over to where Lily and Sirius were sitting. They had just gotten back from visiting Remus in the Hospital Wing.  
"How is he?" Sirius asked them.  
James gave him a cold, cold look, and Sirius was suddenly afraid. James had never looked at *anyone* like that in his entire life. He also became aware that Lily and Peter were glaring at him too.  
"Sometimes, Sirius, you are a *bastard*," James snarled. "But this - I mean, you *know* how sensitive Remmie is about it all - you are *worse* than a bastard."  
Sirius looked at Lily, hoping to see some sympathy, but there was none. She gave him one angry look, and he knew it was over between them. No words exchanged, but it was as obvious as if she'd said it out loud. He and Lily were over.   
He got up. "I know it," he said softly to James, and went upstairs to the dorm. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. He had really screwed things up this time. It was crystal clear. His friends hated him, and he deserved it.   
He didn't move for the rest of the day. He knew he was missing Transfiguration, and McGonagall would kill him, but he didn't care. Transfiguration was the last thing on his mind. He didn't even go down for dinner. Food wasn't important. He didn't budge until nearly nine, when he pulled the hangings closed around his bed and climbed under the covers without bothering to change his clothes. James and Peter came upstairs around ten, but Sirius ignored them, and they him.  
  
~November 12 - Care of Magical Creatures~  
  
The past few weeks had been the loneliest and most miserable of Sirius' life. He avoided his friends whenever possible, going to bed early and getting up early to avoid talking to them. He didn't sit near them at meals, and tried not to sit near them in class. If there was no way to avoid them, he avoided meeting their eyes and worked in silence.   
James, Remus, Lily, and Peter spent their days acting as if Sirius wasn't there at all. They ignored him completely, and did their best to avoid bringing up anything in a conversation that might bring Sirius' name up. Even Snape was ignoring Sirius, privately fuming over what he now saw as an attempt to murder him. James knew Sirius was sorry, but that didn't change a thing. Sirius was always apologizing for something, but an apology never reversed what he had done. And he had gotten himself into deep shit this time.  
It was a windy, rainy day, so bad that the class couldn't be outdoors, so Professor Kettleburn had relocated them to a free classroom, where they were busily copying notes on fire-crabs off the board. Sirius kept his eyes on his work. He didn't even bother to watch out of the corner of his eye as James and Remus flicked Every Flavor Beans at Snape's head while Peter and Lily giggled. Apart from the heart-wrenching knowledge that his best friends now hated him, Sirius got a longing, half-terrified, half-ashamed feeling whenever he looked at Remus. Ever since Remus' tearful apology after Moony attacked him, Sirius had been sure Remus was still in love with him. And he had realized he loved Remus as well.... but now his chance was gone. How could he have been so bloody stupid?   
  
When the bell rang for lunch, Sirius didn't feel much like eating. He packed up his stuff and wandered off to the library, where he could hide out and do some work. There was *one* good thing about this, he thought with bitter good humor. With no one to hang around with, he spent a lot of time reading and working, so his grades (which had always been good anyway) were higher than ever.  
He was moodily summarizing a chapter on Switching Spells for Professor McGonagall when a shadow fell over him. Whoever in the world would *want* to talk to him now? He looked up, and his bad mood increased. It was Serena Lupin.  
"Did you give a thought to our little conversation, Sirius?" she inquired, sitting down at his table without bothering to wait to be invited.  
Well, he hadn't, but he nodded anyway. As if he didn't have more important things to worry about...  
"Good," said Serena. "And?"  
Sirius sighed inwardly. He was sick of Serena and her half-baked schemes to rekindle the relationship they had shared - not that there was much of a relationship to speak of. Oh, how he bitterly regretted ever sending a second glance her way. But what was he to do?  
"Well?" Serena prodded.  
Fine, then. Who knew. Maybe it would be nice to have *someone* to talk to... even if it was only Remus' psychotic sister.   
"You win," he grumbled. "Just don't tell Remmie anything you read in my journal, ok?"  
Serena squealed and kissed his cheek. "It's about time, you moron," she said, getting up. "I'm going to go tell Bunny!"  
And off she dashed. Sirius groaned. How he wished he could just disappear.  
  
~December 20 - Shrieking Shack~  
  
Moony lay absolutely motionless in the four-poster bed, Wormtail asleep between Moony's front paws. Prongs was asleep on the floor. Moony whined softly. A member of his pack was missing - Padfoot hadn't shown up last month either. Having Padfoot gone made Moony very unhappy, and made his 'pack' incomplete. It really bothered him, and he whined again, a whine so soft even Wormtail and Prongs didn't hear it. Maybe Sirius was a bloody prat, but Moony really didn't like having Padfoot gone. He couldn't understand why. Sirius had betrayed him, done a terrible, awful thing, and yet, in the deepest parts of his heart and soul, Remus still loved him. It pained him every time he saw Sirius sitting alone, his head bowed over a book or some homework. It upset him to come to the realization that Sirius, who was usually loud and the center of attention (along with James), was now becoming withdrawn and moody. And even worse, Sirius was hanging around Serena again, and they seemed to have a relationship going. Somehow, this hurt most of all.....  
  
~Sirius' Journal - December 20~  
  
-I wonder what they're doing right now. I don't think they'll leave the Shack - Prongs won't be able to keep track of Moony by himself, and Wormtail is too small to help if Moony decides to go on a rampage. I wonder if they miss me? I really miss them.... no one for company except Serena and her friend Bunny.... and a score of her other giggly friends.... it'll drive me mad. Right now, there's no place I'd rather be than in the Shack, or running around Hogsmeade, with my friends...... with Moony. God, I hate myself so much for betraying him....-   
  
~January 2 - start of next term - Great Hall~  
  
Remus poked at his scrambled eggs, trying his very best to ignore Serena and Sirius, who were sitting nearby with a bunch of Serena's friends. How very distracting. It just wasn't fair! How did his sister get Sirius without trying? Remus' mind wandered back to fourth year against his will. What had gone wrong? He and Sirius had been together for a little while, and it seemed to Remus that it would last forever, but then Sirius had just denied him like that.... and then there was Snape....  
Thinking about his troubled love life made Remus' head hurt, so he went back to poking his scrambled eggs (yet another item on his Most Hated Foods List) and listening to James and Lily discussing their Charms homework.   
He chanced a glance at Sirius, who was looking at *him*. Their eyes met for a second - Sirius' desperately unhappy, Remus' both angry and sad - and then Remus looked back down at his breakfast. He sighed and pushed it aside, instead pulling out his Arithmancy book (he was the only Marauder taking Arithmancy; Sirius declared it stupid, James said it was boring, and Peter said all those numbers made his head hurt) and beginning to reread the chapter Professor Mizuno had assigned for homework. Against his better judgment, he peeked over the edge of his book at Sirius. Sirius was listening to something Serena was saying with a very forced smile on his face.   
Remus sighed. It couldn't possibly be helping Sirius' mood to have Serena trailing after him every day. But the look in Sirius' eyes decided him - he *had* to talk with Sirius. Smooth this over. Perhaps he could -  
The bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Serena pulled Sirius away from the table, probably wanting him to walk her to her class. Remus cursed mentally. Okay. Next time... as soon as possible... he'd talk to Sirius. Get him alone and talk to him....  
  
~Remus' Journal - January 21~  
  
-Damn, damn, damn, damn!! I still haven't talked to Siri! I keep meaning to, I really want to make up with him, but I keep losing my nerve! By the time I actually go through with it he and Sere'll be married or something. Goddammit! Why do I have to be such a wimp sometimes! I know, I know, I should just march up to him in the common room some night and say, "I forgive you, Siri!" and give him a huge kiss. Shudder. I couldn't do that even if we were the only ones on the planet. I'm not that bold. But I *might* be able to forgive him, if we were alone.... -   
  
~February 4 - the Hogwarts Grounds~  
  
Sirius sat still, not paying any mind to the cold, just staring up at the cloudless sky and thinking. Remus smiled to himself from his spot behind the greenhouses, where he was hiding and watching Sirius. Finally, a chance to get him alone. He hurried over to Sirius, careful not to make a sound. He had just paused beside a tree when Sirius spoke.  
"I should do it. Just.... get it done with. No more of all this."  
Remus froze. What was Sirius talking about?  
Sirius continued to look up at the sky sorrowfully. He seemed to be talking to his star. "Nobody'd miss me, they can't stand me anyway. Especially not Remmie. I'd be gone, and he wouldn't have to hide his fling with Snape... and I wouldn't be around revealing his secret to everyone."  
He took something out of the pockets of his robes. With a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the cold weather, Remus realized it was a hunting knife. Sirius ran the ball of his thumb along the side of the blade, turning the knife so the cold steel caught the moonlight.  
"I could do it right now," he said softly. "Just end it." He looked down at his wrists. "Right here.... I'd be frozen before anyone could even find me. I could put a Numbing Charm on myself.... wouldn't feel a thing."  
Remus' breath caught in his throat. Sirius was contemplating suicide. The strain on him must be greater than anyone could ever imagine, for him to want to kill himself. Remus' eyes filled with tears. He couldn't let this happen - if Sirius killed himself, Remus would never be able to bear it -  
"Sirius!"  
Sirius jumped, and so did Remus. Sirius stuck the knife back in his pocket as an enormous figure emerged from the trees. It was Hagrid.  
"What are yeh doin' out here alone?" Hagrid asked, his voice muffled from behind his wooly balaclava. Studying the tone of his voice, and the cheerful twinkle in his eyes, Remus could tell Hagrid hadn't seen the knife, or overheard what Sirius had been saying.  
"Just walking," Sirius replied with false cheerfulness. "What are you doing?"  
"Went inter the forest to catch a gnome. Rotten thing got away from me while I was diggin' in me pumpkin patch."  
"Catch it?"  
"Threw it headfirs' inter a bog," Hagrid grunted. "Hate them gnomes. Nothin' but trouble, the lot of them. They're even worse durin' the summer."  
"You're telling me," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "It's my job to de-gnome our garden. I'm getting cold, Hagrid, I think I'm going to go back in."  
"All righ'," Hagrid said. "Say hello ter yer friends for me, now."  
"Will do," Sirius said. "Bye, Hagrid."  
Sirius ran off in the direction of the castle, and Hagrid headed back to his cabin, whistling. Remus slumped wearily against the tree and realized he had broken out in a nervous sweat. He shivered. He had to get back to the castle right now.... tell James and Lily and Peter what he had just heard.  
  
~February 9 - Gryffindor Tower~  
  
All week, James, Remus, Lily, and Peter kept a close watch on Sirius, trailing him from class to class, never leaving him alone. If Sirius noticed, he didn't say anything. Remus was in agony, wondering where the hunting knife was now, worrying that Sirius would slip away some night and actually go through with it. But Sirius didn't do anything, just studied and sat with Serena and her friends. Right now he was up in their dorm, taking a nap. They were all taking it in turns to run upstairs and check on him every fifteen minutes or so.  
"Your turn, Remmie," James murmured, and Remus got up and headed for their dorm on shaking legs. He didn't like this... he was terrified he'd walk in to find a bloody mess and....... he shuddered. Cautiously, the opened the door and peeked in. A frightened squeak escaped him after a few minutes - it didn't look like Sirius was breathing.   
Panic threatened to make him freeze, but Remus ignored it and tiptoed over to Sirius' bed. He touched his fingertips to Sirius' neck, and breathed a sigh of relief. Sirius' pulse was there, slow and steady. And he was breathing, just very slowly. Remus brushed a strand of hair away from Sirius' face, looking sadly down at his friend. Sirius stirred and murmured something in his sleep, and Remus pulled his hand away, startled. 'Okay, you've seen he's alive,' a voice in his head told him. 'Now get out of here before he wakes up. He's still a bloody stupid wanker, but at least he's an *alive* bloody wanker.'  
Good advice. As worried as he was about Sirius, Remus was still unhappy about the whole incident with Snape and the Willow. He'd forgive Sirius in time - but not until Sirius came to him first and apologized.  
  
~February 18 - 9:00 AM - the Library~  
  
Sirius put his head in his hands, ignoring Serena's steady stream of chatter. He had two choices right now, as far as he could see it. He could throw away his pride and go to Remus, get on his knees and *beg* if he had to, until Remus forgave him. Or he could go out behind the hippogriffs' paddock and kill himself. Easy choice there. He'd go see Remus.  
"You haven't been listening to a *word* I've been saying, have you?" Serena snapped at him.  
"What?" Sirius asked, looking around.   
"You jerk," Serena said in disgust. "I've been talking to you for the past ten minutes and you haven't heard anything I said."  
"I've got to do something," Sirius said vaguely, getting up. "I'll be right back."  
Serena caught his arm, scowling. "What the hell do you have to do that's more important than me?" And he could feel his temper rising again. He willed himself not to lose it. Last time he had lost his temper, he had gotten himself into a whole lot of trouble.  
"I have to talk to Remus," he said. "I'll be back."  
"You don't need to talk to him!" Serena hissed, turning purple. "He hates you, remember? Now get back here and sit down! You're making me look like a fool!"  
But Sirius had had quite enough of Serena. He barely had a moment's peace; she was always around, demanding his full attention at all times. This had to stop. He was sick of listening to her gossip and insults, and he was especially tired of her informing him that his friends hated him.  
"You're making *yourself* look like a fool," he snarled, jerking his arm out of her grasp. "Serena, I've had it. I mean it. No more."  
"What are you talking about?" she demanded, ignoring the looks people were starting to give them.  
"It means what it means." Sirius said flatly. "I don't care what you've got on me. It's through. I don't want to go out with you anymore."  
He turned on his heel and ran out of the library, ignoring Serena's sudden gasp and Madame Pince's shout of "No running in the library!". He was almost up to Gryffindor Tower when he realized it was the night after the full moon. Remus would most likely be with Madame Pomfrey. He turned back and raced down the stairs, and didn't stop running until he reached the Hospital Wing.  
  
"Mr. Black!" Madame Pomfrey said, looking up in surprise when he entered, panting and flushed with his robes hanging off one shoulder and his hair coming out of its ponytail. "Are you hurt? What's the matter?"  
"Is Remus here?" he asked her, ignoring her questions. "I need to talk to him. It's urgent!"  
Something in his eyes or his desperate expression must have convinced her; she usually wouldn't have let him in looking as he did, lest he upset her patients. She nodded.  
"Thanks!" Sirius gasped, running past her. He saw Remus sitting up in the very last bed, reading a book whose pages he turned with a heavily bandaged hand. He slowed to a walk, and cleared his throat significantly when he approached Remus' bed.  
Remus looked up, smiling, but the smile faded when he saw who his visitor was. "Hello, Sirius."  
Sirius collapsed into the chair beside the bed and looked Remus straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Remmie," he said softly.  
Remus blinked, startled. "I beg your pardon?"  
"I said I'm sorry," Sirius said, and he truly looked it. "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry I told Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow. But I'm sorriest for what I put you through. I should have kept my temper.... and I'm sorry I said I didn't love you. It was a lie."  
"A -a lie?" Remus repeated faintly.  
"Yes," Sirius said, taking Remus' unbandaged hand and pressing it against his cheek as tears welled in his eyes. "I love you, Remmie. You're the only one I've *ever* loved..... I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out." He raised Remus' hand to his lips and kissed it gently.   
  
Remus stared at him, fighting back tears. No, it was no good. He was going to cry, either from relief or happiness or frustration or all three. He wiped his eyes impatiently on the sleeve of his pajamas, and whispered hoarsely, "Better late than never."  
Sirius looked at him, tears running down his own cheeks. "Remmie...."  
"Apology accepted," Remus whispered. "And I love you too, Sirius Black, no matter how big of a prat you are."  
Sirius gave him a timid grin that made Remus' heart leap; Sirius hadn't smiled like that in so long. He had been terrified Sirius would never smile like that again. Cautiously, Sirius hugged him, and Remus hugged back. The tight knot of - tension? fear? whatever it had been- in his chest suddenly disappeared. But there was one more thing he had to bring up.  
"Where's the knife, Siri?" he murmured into Sirius' ear.  
Sirius jumped, then looked at him, startled. "You *knew*?"  
"I overheard you," Remus confessed. "You were thinking of killing yourself. I was going to stop you, but Hagrid came along before I could do anything."  
Sirius kissed his forehead. "Not to worry, love," he whispered. "I threw it out into the lake. I was afraid of what I might do to myself with it if I kept it."  
"Thank God," Remus breathed. "Don't you *ever* scare me like that again, you stupid git."  
"I promise," Sirius said softly. "I love you, Remmie."  
"I love you too, Siri. With all my heart."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena barged into the hospital wing much later, fuming. "Is my brother here?" she asked Madame Pomfrey, who nodded. Serena hurried down to her brother's bed, intending to tell him *everything*. Every last disgusting detail of Sirius' dreams. She'd -  
She stopped short. Remus was sitting up in bed, fast asleep. And Sirius was sleeping beside him, almost falling off the bed, holding Remus' unbandaged hand in both of his own.  
  
~March 4 - Herbology~  
  
The most miserable month of all had come to Hogwarts. Icy sleet and rain poured from the sky, and the wind was so strong that trying to keep hold of an umbrella was useless. It was freezing cold and muddy outside, making Care of Magical Creatures nearly unbearable. Sirius' heart went out to Hagrid, who could be seen slogging through the mud on the grounds as he went about his gamekeeping duties. But today was the rare sunny day, and it was wonderfully warm in Greenhouse Three, where the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were trying to repot the Snapdragons. Quite a difficult job. They were all wearing their dragon-hide gloves to fend off bites from the vicious plants.  
But despite the weather and the dangerous plants, Sirius was happier than he'd been in a very long time. He had his friends back ('And don't do anything stupid this time, laddie,' he warned himself), and what was better, he had Remus back. Even better, Serena seemed to have given up on him. Obviously, if he was with Remus, Serena telling Remus anything wouldn't make a difference. ('Unless it gave him ideas,' he thought to himself, and blushed.) And... James had a crush on Lily!  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Admit it, Jim," Sirius teased, ruffling James' hair playfully. "You've got a crush, haven't you? I know you do. 'Fess up, who do you fancy?"  
James glared at him. "Siri..... shut up."  
"So modest," chuckled Sirius. "Let me guess. Rose McDougall?"  
"No."  
"Hmm. Narcissa Beaumont?"  
"No!"  
"Lucius Malfoy!"  
"NO!!" James shrieked, throwing his pillow at Sirius. "You sick puppy!"  
"Don't hit my puppy," Remus ordered, throwing the pillow back. "You're the one who's in love with Malfoy."  
"I am NOT!" James howled. "That's SNAPE!"  
"Eurgh!" Peter yelped, falling off his bed. "Jim, please!"  
Sirius leaned on Remus, giggling madly. "I always knew it..." he sniggered. "Malfoy.... and Snapey.... can you imagine *their* wedding day?"  
"Yeah, who wears the dress?" Remus said dryly, making them laugh harder.  
Sirius wiped tears from his eyes, gasping for breath. "No, really, Jim. Who is it? I promise not to tell."  
James turned bright red, and mumbled something incoherent.  
"What, Jim?" Sirius asked sweetly.  
"It's Lil," James said shyly.  
Remus clapped his hands together in delight. "Oh Jim, that's ever so sweet!"  
"You don't mind, do you, Siri?" James asked anxiously.   
"Not at all," Sirius said, beaming. "You're more her type anyway. And I always got this eerie feeling she would've rather been with you from the beginning instead of me. No, I don't mind, I've got my Remmie." Remus blushed as Sirius planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.   
"Don't tell her," James said, looking suddenly panicked.   
"Not a word," Remus said, smiling.  
"On my honor," Peter added.  
"I promise." Sirius said, looking somewhat shifty.  
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" James asked suspiciously.  
"Yup."  
"Stick an needle in your eye?"  
"Yup."  
"Eat a horse manure pie?!"  
"JIM!"  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Sirius jerked his fingers out of the reach of his Snapdragon. Woolgathering was *not* a good thing to do when tending these evil plants. He glanced at James, who was fending off his Snapdragon with his trowel, then at Lily, who evidently had a more well-tempered plant.   
"You know, I've had an idea, Remmie," he muttered softly to his boyfriend.  
"Oh no, I'm afraid to ask," Remus said unhappily.  
"I seem to remember Jim and Lil playing matchmaker for us once," Sirius said casually.  
"So?"   
"I thought perhaps we could do the same for them."  
Remus stared, then a grin spread across his face. "Maybe we should. How? Passing notes in class? Lure them up to the Astronomy Tower? Or have Professor Tomoe predict their chances of a relationship?"  
Sirius brow furrowed in thought. "I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "I've never tried to get anyone else together before."  
"Maybe we should... I dunno... go to Hogsmeade all together... and then leave them all alone," Remus said, shrugging. "Hey, I'm not good at this, either."  
Peter returned from the compost heap with a tray piled high with dragon dung compost and a disgusted look on his face. "What are you two conspiring about now?"   
"Trying to figure out how to get Jim and Lil together," Sirius answered. "Help us out, Pete."  
Peter blushed. "Um, I don't know much about matchmaking," he squeaked.  
"Great. Three dunderheads ought to do it!" Sirius said, then paused. "Wait - what about Grace?"  
Peter and Grace had had a relationship going ever since the Yule Ball last year, and it was clear they were nuts about each other. Peter flushed, embarrassed. "Don't call her a dunderhead!"  
Sirius slapped himself on the forehead in exasperation. "Pete! I wasn't! I meant she could help us out! She's a *girl*, isn't she? Then she'd know all about this sneaky romance crap."  
"Oh," Peter said sheepishly. "Um, I suppose I could get her to help. But, um, what about Jim? He's always hanging around...."  
"No problem," Sirius said, waving a hand impatiently. "There's gonna be one of those dumb prefect meetings tomorrow night, which gets Jim *and* Lil out of our hair. Just grab Grace and we'll sit in the library and scheme something up."  
"Okay," Peter said uncertainly.  
  
~March 5 - 8:00 PM - the Library~  
  
"Blech, tuna casserole," Sirius said, chewing on a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.   
"I thought we were talking about James and Lily," Grace said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Not disgusting jelly beans."  
"Just thought I'd comment," Sirius said, shrugging and pouring a pile of beans into Remus' palm. "Remmie, you've got a dumb-ass sister. What would she do?"  
Remus shrugged, picking a reddish bean out of his pile. "Threaten... coerce.... mmm, cinnamon."  
"That might work," Sirius joked. "Jim, kiss Lil or I'll hang your underpants from a tree."  
Grace shook her head. "That'll never work," she said. "You're more likely to get a punch in the nose."  
"And what about your sister, Siri?" Peter asked. "What would she do?"  
"Order him," Sirius replied. "You've never seen my sister with her boyfriend. She's like a military general or something."  
Remus ran a hand through his hair and popped an orangey bean into his mouth. "Carrot. This is getting us noplace fast."  
"If you ask me, your plan was best, Remus," Grace said. "All of us go of to Hogsmeade, then leave James and Lily alone."  
"Banana," Remus replied, chewing thoughtfully on another bean. "I mean, thanks."  
"Well, if it's all we can come up with..." Peter shrugged.  
"Sushi!" Sirius said, pulling a disgusted face. "I never get good flavors. Grace, you don't happen to read romance novels, do you?"  
She raised an eyebrow. "No way. Not even Muggle ones. They're corny. And will you put those beans *away*?"  
"Pond scum!" Sirius choked in answer, and spit the bean out. "Repulsive."  
"Like Remmie said, we're getting noplace fast," Peter sighed. "Maybe we should lock them in a broom cupboard or something."  
"The idea has its merits," Sirius said, picking a purplish bean from Remus' pile. He popped it into his mouth. "Eurgh! Prune baby food!"  
  
~March 25 - 12:00 AM - the dungeons~  
  
"Where are *you* headed, Potter?" a voice snapped. It was one of the Slytherin prefects.   
"None of your beeswax," snapped James, storming by him. He ducked through an archway and out of the prefect's sight, and paused by a painting of a very ugly goblin. There was the sound of falling cloth, and Sirius, Remus, and Peter appeared out of thin air.  
"They're like gnomes, can't get rid of them," Sirius muttered, folding up the Invisibility Cloak. "Now what are we doing here, Jim?"  
"I reckon I found another secret passage," James muttered back. "This painting opens up into a secret room, I think."  
He leaned close to the painting and murmured, "Fish stick."  
The painting swung open, and they clambered through the hole it revealed in the wall.  
"Fish stick?" Sirius asked in disgust. "Well, *that*'s not an clever password, is it?"  
James sniggered. "Well, we all know how brainless the Slytherins are," he said. "Lumos!" Following his lead, the other three Marauders lit their wands and gazed around at what it revealed.  
It was a large, high-ceilinged room, made of white marble, like the prefects' bathroom. One whole wall was covered by a painting of a dragon, which was fast asleep. Smoke unfurled from its nostrils and floated out of the frame and around the room as it snored. Red velvet curtains hung at the stained-glass windows, and all the furniture was made of deep red leather. Everything was covered in a thick patina of dust.  
"Where is *this*?" Remus asked in awe.   
"I'm not really sure," said James thoughtfully. "But it looks like no one's been in here for a *very* long time. I don't think even Dumbledore knows about it."  
Remus was wandering around, examining the furniture. Sirius and Peter were staring at the ceiling, which was painted with murals depicting witches and wizards fighting dragons, riding unicorns, flying on hippogriffs and broomsticks, and the like. It was quite beautiful, even though it didn't move.  
Remus stopped to look through a stack of dusty books with yellowing pages which stood near the door. All the books were bound in leather, with their titles stamped in old-fashioned gilt on the covers. 'Ancient Map-Making'. 'Faeries and Sprites of England'. 'A Study of Olde Languages'. 'Magical Remedies and Potions'. Fascinated, Remus opened 'Ancient Map-Making' and glanced at the printing date. 1613! He turned to the first page and began to read.  
"Of course you found the only books in the place," Sirius said, coming up behind him and putting an arm around his waist. "What's this about?"  
"Map-making," Remus mumbled, already lost in the book.  
"Interesting," Sirius said sarcastically, but then kissed Remus' temple. "Are you going to explore with us or not?"  
"All right..." said Remus with a sigh. He put the books down, but on second thought, tucked 'Ancient Map-Making' under his arm. "I think I'll just borrow this," he said. "Just for something new to read."  
Sirius shrugged. "I'll never understand why you like to read so much, Remmie. Bloody boring, if you ask me. I'd rather be out *doing* something, not sitting on my arse with my nose stuck in a book."  
"Try it sometime, you might like it," Remus said, rolling his eyes and walking over to James, who was studying the stained-glass windows.  
"These are nice, aren't they?" James said to him. "I wonder why we haven't seen them from outside."  
"They might be enchanted," Remus mused. "I read about that once.... you can enchant stained-glass windows to look like plain windows from the outside if you want."  
"You read too much," James laughed. He punched Remus in the arm. "But I have to admit it comes in handy sometimes. Can I see?"  
Remus handed him 'Ancient Map-Making', and he scanned a few pages.  
"Hm. Looks good," he said, handing it back. "But I think we'd better go - it's almost two."  
  
~April 2 - Hogsmeade~  
  
"D'you think they've realized what's going on yet, Siri?" Remus asked. He and Sirius were sitting on top of the hill overlooking Hogsmeade. They had been up here for a half hour or so, after telling the others they were going for a short walk.  
"Well, if Pete and Grace already cleared out, they probably did," Sirius replied. "Jim may be a daft sod when it comes to *some* things, but he *did* tell us he liked Lil, and.... well... he probably figured we were going to try and get them together. And Lil's no slouch, either. She's probably even smarter than Jim, I think she gets the idea too."  
"Good," said Remus, snuggling closer to Sirius. "And if they don't, they're the most dense people I ever met."  
"Can you imagine what a kid of theirs would be like?" Remus wondered aloud.  
"Hopefully it'd get Lil's looks and brains," Sirius joked. "Heaven knows what it'd get from Jim."  
Remus giggled. "D'you think we should go down and see how things are getting on?"  
Sirius pouted. "What, I don't even get a kiss?" "Siri!" Remus hissed, scandalized. "What if someone came along just now?"   
"Well, we ought to give them something to interrupt, haven't we?" Sirius inquired sweetly, before pulling Remus into a good, long snog.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was nearly an hour later when they wandered back into Hogsmeade in search of their friends. They found James and Lily straight away, in the Three Broomsticks. To their joy, James and Lily were holding hands and talking quite seriously.   
"H'lo guys," Sirius said casually, making both James and Lily jump and blush. "Did we interrupt anything?"  
"Nothing important," Lily said, blushing deeper, but she didn't let go of James' hand. "Where did *you* two go off to, hmm?" she asked, taking stock of their mussed hair and pink cheeks, and their rumpled ties and open collars.  
"Ehrm, just for a walk," Sirius said evasively as they said down. "Where are Pete and Grace?" he asked quickly, trying to change the subject.   
"Probably off doing what you were doing," James teased.  
"And what you'd *like* to be doing," Sirius shot back, making James and Lily blush again.  
"Stupid prat," James said fondly. "You've got grass in your hair, Siri."  
  
~May 17 - Hogwarts Grounds~  
  
"James! James! Stop!" Lily cried, laughing as she clung tightly to him. "This is high enough!"  
James pulled his broom to a stop and grinned cheekily over his shoulder at her. "You sure?"  
"Absolutely," Lily said firmly, tightening her grip around his waist. She looked nervously down at the Quidditch field, which was small enough for her to blot out with her hand from this height. "Now I think I know why Remus hates flying so much. Heights are scary." She rested her head between James' shoulder blades and squeezed her eyes shut. "Can we go back down now? I don't fancy getting sucked into the engine of an airplane."  
James spluttered with laughter. "Lil! We're not that high up!"  
"please?" Lily asked softly, abandoning her playful tone of voice. James' gaze softened as he looked back over his shoulder at her.  
"Okay," he agreed, and swooped back down to the Quidditch field. When they landed, it was to find Remus being coaxed by Sirius to come flying with him.  
"Please, love," Sirius begged. "It's no fun without you."  
Remus smiled sweetly at him. "That's so sweet of you to say, but you know I can't stand heights. I'll stay put, all right?"  
"Nah," sighed Sirius. "I don't wanna fly by myself, and besides it's getting dark. We might as well go in... you can help me with my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay..."  
"Yeah, if by 'help' you mean 'snog me senseless'," James said dryly as he and Lily approached.  
"Fine!" Sirius cried, throwing up his hands. "So I want to make out with my boyfriend! I seem to remember two certain people who were lip-wrestling last night, might I add!"  
James scowled, but Lily giggled. "Well, you and Remus gave us ideas!"  
Remus' ears turned red, and he said sheepishly, "She's got us there, Siri."  
Sirius tossed back his long hair. "Humph." Then he brightened. "Wait. This means we're... inspirational!" He cast a coy look over at Remus. "What d'you say we go inspire them some more, hmm?"  
"I think they've got the main idea, Siri," sighed Remus.  
"You're refusing an excuse to snog?" Sirius asked, looking wounded.  
"I didn't say *that*......"  
  
~June 29 - the Hogwarts Express~  
  
"You know what would be cool?" James asked.  
"No, what?" Sirius asked, idly staring out the window.  
"It'd be cool to make a map of Hogwarts... or write a book or something.... you know - put in all the stuff we've found out around the castle. We've found so *many* secret passages and hidden rooms that we should... I dunno, put it together somehow."  
"I think you're on to something, Jim," Sirius said thoughtfully. "A map would be better than a book, I think, you'd be able to diagram everything out.... books don't show much.... even if they do have pictures.... Reminds me of a book I had when I was little - Auntie brought it back from America when she went there on holiday...."  
"What was it?" James asked, sniggering.  
Sirius glared at him. "Hey, it was a *good* book. 'Green Eggs and Ham'."  
"WHAT?!"  
"'Green Eggs and Ham'!"  
Peter looked repulsed. "I'm not going to ask."  
"It was *groovy*! There was this guy, Sam-I-Am, trying to get this other guy-"  
"Why are you telling us about your book, Siri?" Remus interrupted. "Let's get back to Jim's idea. I like it, actually."  
"But I don't know a *thing* about making an enchanted map," James sighed, flopping back in his seat with a sigh. Remus hummed a little, a superior look on his face. "What?" James asked him.  
Wordlessly, Remus reached into his trunk and pulled out 'Ancient Map-Making' and opened it to a specific chapter, then handed it to James.  
"Enchanted Map-Making," James read. He looked up, his eyes wide. "Brilliant, Remmie!"  
"We can start it this summer," Remus said.  
"In between snog sessions, you mean," Sirius grinned.  
  
To Be Continued  
  
(Coming Soon: Year 7! The last year at Hogwarts, but *not* the last year of the story! Jim and Lil become Head Boy and Girl! Siri wants something, but Remus doesn't! The Marauder's Map is written! Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs go running about, Serena gets a talking-to, and there's plenty of snogging going on!)  
  
(A/N: Ahhh!!! Thank you all so much for the fabulous reviews! I thrive on good reviews! My Muses thrive on chocolate and good reviews! And you haven't disappointed us! (Well, Snape is grumpy, but that's *his* fault. I didn't even *want* him as a Muse.) Keep them coming, please! I have two more years (plus a bunch of 'Post-Hogwarts' years) to write!) 


	7. Year 7 Together At Last

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... I also don't own the Study of Ancient Runes teacher, Professor Hino (Sailor Mars), or the owner of 'Miss Kaiou's Fine Magical Jewelry' (Sailor Neptune), who are both owned by Naoko Takeuchi.  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Possibly more involved stuff ('specially since Siri is a sex-deprived seventeen-going-on-eighteen-year-old), but if you read my explanation last chapter you'd know I'm not capable of writing this stuff.  
  
New Word!: Parachronism! It means 'erroneously placing an event or events at a later date than they originally occurred' (along those lines, that's my translation of the definition). It describes my story perfectly! By 1981 Jim and Lil were parents! But as I didn't find this out until I had.... FOUR chapters written and put up, it's far too late to change it. I apologize.  
  
Credits: I must absolutely thank Princess Miyako for being my beta-reader for this chapter! So, thank you soooo much, Liz! ^.^ Kudos and M&M's and Snickers and all sorts of chocolately lovely desserts to you! ^.^  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 7 - Together At Last  
  
~July 2, 1981 - Remus' 17th Birthday - the Potter home~  
  
"Where's Siri?" Peter wondered aloud, starting on his fifth helping of coconut cream pie. "He's late! He *is* coming, isn't he?"  
"Don't panic, Pete," James sighed irritably (Peter had been complaining for the past fifteen minutes). "He's not *that* late. And if I know him - which I do - he's not going to miss Remmie's party."  
The words were barely out of his mouth when the sound of a distant, roaring motor reached their ears.  
"What is *that*?" Grace asked, bewildered, going to the window.  
Her question was soon answered. A huge black-and-chrome motorcycle roared up the street and skidded to a halt at the foot of the Potters' driveway (making all the Muggle neighbors lean out their doors and windows to see what all the noise was about). When the dust cleared, they were able to see a very tall, familiar figure, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, dismounting the motorcycle. The person took off his helmet and shook out a long mane of black hair. It was Sirius, of course.  
Ignoring the neighbors' stares, Sirius reached into one of the bike's saddlebags and pulled out a present, than tucked it under his arm and sauntered up to the house. James held the door open for him, sniggering.  
"Happy birthday, Remmie!" Sirius said, planting a sloppy kiss on his boyfriend's mouth and thrusting the present into his hands. "Sweet Seventeen!"  
"That's *sixteen*, Siri," Lily giggled.  
"Every year's sweet with Remmie," Sirius said happily, making Remus blush.   
"Siri, *what* is *that*?" James asked, still leaning out the door to goggle at the motorcycle.  
"Like my present?" Sirius chuckled. "Gram gave it to me as a late birthday present - said she's had it waiting for me in the garage since nearly Christmas."  
"Your *gram* bought you that?" Remus marveled, joining James at the door to admire the bike.  
"Does she *want* you to get killed?' Lily teased.  
"Probably," shrugged Sirius, "But that's besides the point. Where's the food?"  
Remus rolled his eyes. "Well, we had coconut cream pie - yes, I know you hate it - don't fret, Pete ate almost all of it while we were waiting for you. What took so long?"  
"My sis had a cricket cornered in the basement and *insisted* that I kill it for her," Sirius said. "It's probably still on the bottom of my boot, if you want to see."  
"Um, no thanks," Remus said, looking a tad green. "Let's have cake instead."  
  
Lily brought out the cake (which she had made mostly herself; James had been more of a hindrance than a help), a vast chocolate layer cake with dinosaur sprinkles and fancy green script which proclaimed 'Happy 17th Remmie!'.  
"Dinosaur sprinkles?" Peter asked skeptically, and they all giggled.  
"I ran out of chocolate jimmies," Lily said apologetically. "These are the only things we had left in the cupboard."  
"Don't fret, Lil," Remus said. "I don't mind dinosaurs."  
"Make a wish, Remmie," James urged.  
"Okay. I wish next year Lil has chocolate jimmies."  
"Remmie!" Lily cried.  
"Okay, okay," Remus sniggered, and closed his eyes for a moment. "Um - okay. I've got it." He opened his eyes, leaned forward, and blew as hard as he could, successfully extinguishing all the candles at once.  
"What did you wish for?" James asked as Lily began cutting the cake. "For Snape to get expelled, I hope."  
"He can't tell you, or it won't come true!" Grace said.  
"Oh, it was just a silly wish anyway," Remus said, accepting a slice of cake from Lily. "But now that you mention it, Snape getting expelled would make my day.... or year..."  
They sat and chewed in silence for a few minutes, Lily watching them anxiously. "Is it alright?" she asked.  
"Heavenly," Remus said.  
"Chocolatey good," said Grace.  
"Delicious," said Peter.  
"Smashing," Sirius added.  
"Corking," James finished. "You can cook for me anytime."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Around 11 o'clock the party started to wind down. Grace was the first to leave, saying she was going to visit her aunt the next day and she needed to get up early. Peter volunteered to walk her home (she didn't live far from James).   
Sirius yawned and stood. "D'you want a ride home, Remmie?"  
"On that... thing?" Remus asked, paling as he jerked a thumb in the direction of Sirius' bike.  
"Why not?" Sirius asked, looking put out. "I promise I'll be careful..."  
Remus sighed, but he couldn't think up a good argument. "All right.... if you *promise*..."  
Sirius winked at James and slipped an arm around Remus' waist. "We'll be fine.... Lil?"  
"Three can't fit on that deathtrap," Lily replied, then blushed. "Besides, I'm not, um, I'm not ready to go home yet..." she trailed, glancing at James, who was looking at the ceiling and blushing as well.  
"Ah," said Sirius, and he and Remus exchanged an amused look. "Looks like it's just you and me, Remmie."  
They rounded up Remus' presents and a few extra slices of cake, bade Lily and James goodbye, and walked out to Sirius' motorcycle. Sirius carefully packed Remus' things into the saddlebags, while Remus paced around the bike and eyed it suspiciously.  
"We have a problem, Siri."  
"What's that?"  
"There's only *one* helmet."  
Sirius shrugged and handed it to Remus. "I'll be okay. It's you I'm worried about."  
Remus was touched, but insisted, "If you ever want me to go riding with you again you'll -"  
"I will," Sirius said, smiling. "Mum. Let me help you with that." He carefully adjusted the straps, winding it through the metal rings. "Feel okay?"  
"Uh, I guess," Remus said, not used to wearing a helmet at all.   
"This too," Sirius said, holding up his leather jacket. He helped Remus into it, then zipped it up and kissed Remus' nose. "In case you go flying." He laughed at the look on Remus' face. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, you won't go flying."  
"What about you?"  
"I won't go flying either."  
"Okay...." Remus said, still having some misgivings about it all. "Um, who gets on first?"  
"Me," Sirius answered, knocking the kickstand back up and throwing one long leg across the bike. "Now you. See those pegs? Your feet got there, okay?"  
"All right," Remus said uncertainly, clambering up.  
"Put your arms around my waist. Hold on tight."  
"Okay," Remus agreed, sliding his arms around Sirius' waist. Sirius started up the bike (making several of the neighbors open their windows and yell about the noise, but the bike was so loud Remus couldn't make out what they were saying), and off they went.  
  
It was better than Remus could have imagined. He held on to Sirius as tight as he could (without cutting off his air) and rested his head against Sirius' back, watching the scenery flash by. It was almost like flying, but somehow not as scary. For someone who hadn't had a motorcycle very long, Sirius was a superb rider. In no time at all they were back at the Lupin house, which was dark except for the porch light.  
Sirius helped Remus remove the helmet, then kissed him gently. "Did you like your first motorcycle ride?"  
"Yes, very much," Remus said softly. He leaned up and kissed Sirius' cheek. "Thank you."  
"Very welcome," Sirius said, helping him carry his things up to the house. "Where is everyone?"  
"Dad and Mum went to visit my cousin, who's in the hospital," Remus said. "Gill's staying over his girlfriend's, Henri's in France, and Serena is at a sleepover."  
"Oh."  
They paused at the front door. Remus fumbled with his keys, finally found the right one, and opened the door. He flicked on a few lights and turned to Sirius shyly. "Would you... like to stay here tonight?"  
"Remmie! Are you trying to seduce me?" Sirius teased, making Remus blush. "As much as I'd love to wake up beside you tomorrow morning, I can't. Auntie and Gram'll wonder what's keeping me."  
"Okay," Remus said, both relieved and disappointed. "Then I'll see you tomorrow?"  
"You know you will," Sirius said, giving him a gentle kiss. "Happy birthday, Remmie. G'night."  
"G'night, Siri-love," Remus replied softly. He stood at the door and watched Sirius put on his jacket and helmet, and waved to him. Siri waved back and was gone.  
  
~Remus' Journal - July 3~  
  
-It's probably a good thing Siri couldn't say last night. Who knows what things could have led to. Oooh. I don't think I'm ready for *that* just yet. And Mum's likely to barge in on me tomorrow to get me up - I don't even want to *think* of how she'd react to seeing me and Siri in bed together..... probably hex us both seven ways to Sunday.... Eh, I think I'll be waiting a long time before Siri and I progress past the kissing stage... I'm blushing just thinking about it..... -  
  
~August 12 - Florean Fortiscue's~  
  
"Are you telling me," James demanded, "That we can even label *people* moving around on the map?"  
Remus nodded, trying to catch a drip of his strawberry-peanut-butter sundae. "That's what I'm telling you."  
"Unbelievable," James said, stunned. "Good thing you read that book, Remmie, I never would have."  
"But it's thanks to you I found it," Remus pointed out.  
"True."  
"What else can we do with this thing?" Sirius asked.  
"We can make *invisible* people show up on it, too," Remus said, casting a meaningful glance at James.   
"You mean even the cloak won't hide me if you have the map?" James pouted.  
"Oh, you'll be invisible," Remus said cheerfully. "But anyone looking at the map'll see you wandering around."  
"Damn."  
"But we can't start until we think up a code," Remus said. "Because we can't leave it lying around with secret passages on it only half done."  
"What kind of a code?" Peter asked.  
"Passwords, or pass-phrases, if you get the idea, that will allow us to reveal the map's contents, and wipe it clean once we're done. After it's all finished, the passwords will keep it so you can disguise the map as a regular old piece of parchment."  
"You've really done your homework, Remmie," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Bloody fantastic."  
"So what are we going to use?" Peter asked.  
"I have an idea....." James said, exchanging a glance with Sirius. "Siri, remember the treehouse?"  
Sirius sniggered. "You bet I do."  
"Treehouse?" Remus and Peter asked in unison.  
"We had this treehouse when we were little," James said, smiling. "Siri's dad built it, and my dad put all kinds of enchantments on it... expanding the inside and stuff like that."  
"Then he decided we needed a password," Sirius added. "After my sister came in and turned it into a - eh - tea party for her friends...."  
"So he let us make up the password," James said, "And enchanted the door so it wouldn't open unless you had the right password."  
"What was it?" Remus asked, interested.  
James and Sirius grinned at each other, then replied in unison : "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."  
"A perfect phrase for you two," Peter said.  
"And a perfect phrase for all of us," Sirius said. "Will that do, Remmie?"  
"Sure," Remus said. "And to close it.... I think 'Mischief Managed!' will do it."  
"When do we get started?" Peter asked.   
"Soon as we go across the street for parchment and ink," James smiled.  
  
~August 14 - Peter's bedroom~  
  
"Okay... Dumbledore's study is right there," James said to Sirius, who was bent low over the large piece of parchment that was to become their map, sketching.  
"Right then..." Sirius mumbled, carefully adding in the door. "Am I doing this right?"  
"Yeah, door behind the moving staircase," James said. "You've been there enough times, you should know."  
"Look who's talking. You were with me all those times."  
"Ah, shut up."  
Remus leaned over Sirius' shoulder to see how far he had gotten. "Hey, that looks good."  
"Nothing but the best," Sirius sighed, putting down his quill and rubbing his wrist. "Your turn, Jim. Where's the food, Pete?"  
"Is that all you ever think about?" Remus sighed, but just then, there was a knock on the door and Peter's Aunt Helga entered with a tray heaped with cookies.   
"Hungry, lads?" she asked cheerfully.  
"Starving," Peter said gratefully, taking the tray from her. "Thanks, Auntie."  
"Don't tell me you've left your homework this late," Aunt Helga said, noticing Remus, Sirius, and James bent over Peter's desk.  
"No ma'am," Sirius replied charmingly. "This is... a side project."  
"So ambitious," Aunt Helga marveled as she left the room.  
"Ambitious but not in Slytherin, thank heavens," Remus said, rolling his eyes and making the others giggle.  
  
~August 30 - the Blacks' back garden~  
  
A hammock was such a nice place in the summer, Remus decided. The breeze in your hair and the sun on your face....  
And, of course, your shirtless boyfriend squished in with you.  
Remus giggled and squirmed in Sirius' arms as Sirius nuzzled his neck. "Siri! That *tickles*!"  
"Ees nozzing like I would like to teekle you," Sirius said in an overdone French accent, making Remus giggle harder.  
"Siri, we're going to fall out of this thing if you don't stop!" he cried.  
"Well, if *you* didn't move around so much," Sirius teased.  
"You *prefer* a cold fish?!"  
"Remmie!" Sirius said, giving him a wide-eyed look of faux amazement.   
"What?"  
"That's the closest you've ever come to being suggestive," Sirius sniggered, and kissed his cheek. "You naughty wolf, you!"  
Remus blushed, "Oh, I didn't mean it that way!"  
"I think you owe me a kiss for insulting me!"  
"Oh, you win," Remus said, leaning up to kiss Sirius' jaw. "Can I ask you something?"  
"I'm ready now, if that's what you were going to ask," Sirius said with a licentious wink.  
"Oh, not that!" Remus said, blushing (besides, that had been obvious for the past ten minutes). "Where is everyone? I don't fancy having your parents - or worse, your gram - just wander out here and happen to find us snogging in the hammock..."  
Sirius rested his head on Remus' chest and held up his fingers, ticking off his family members. "Mum's visiting a friend who just had a baby. Dad's at work. Auntie and Gram went shopping. And Lyra dragged Brad off to help her pick out flowers or shoes or some such crap for their wedding. I think that's everyone. Oh. and Oberon's probably sleeping in my room." He paused, then said, "We've got the house to ourselves for at least another couple of hours......."  
Knowing what he meant, Remus quickly shook his head. "No, Siri," he said softly. "I'm not ready for that yet. If we had.... um, if we made love, we'd be mated for life. And I don't want you to have to...... I don't know.... make such an important decision right now.""  
"Okay," Sirius agreed, somewhat disappointed. "Your call."  
They stayed silent for a little while, just enjoying the sunshine and each other's company. Remus absentmindedly ran a gentle finger over Sirius' back, tracing the scars he himself had put there. Tears pricked at his eyes at the memory and he forced himself to look up at the sky until they went away.  
  
~September 3 - Study of Ancient Runes~  
  
It was a bit sad to think that this was his last year at Hogwarts, Remus reflected as he sat carefully copying a chart of ancient Chinese symbols that Professor Hino had put up on the board. It was going to be weird not to be coming back next year. What would they all be doing by then? Remus didn't know (as much as he liked Divination, he was not a Seer), but he was going to do his best to make sure his and Sirius' future plans included each other....  
Giving himself a quick shake, he brought himself back to the present. Daydreaming in class was *not* recommended. He had to get his top N.E.W.T.s if he ever wanted to be a professor.Well, he hadn't messed up - even in his momentary fugue state he had managed to copy down the Chinese characters perfectly. He hid a pleased smile behind his hand and cast a furtive glance around the classroom. Once again, he was the only Marauder in this class (Sirius hated runes, James claimed they were boring, and Peter claimed runes made his head hurt). Well, he supposed you could count Lily as sort of an unofficial Marauder, so okay, there were two in the class. Right now Lily was absentmindedly wiping a spot off her Head Girl badge with the hem of her robes.  
Remus smiled. Lily as Head Girl - it had been just perfect. If anyone else had gotten it Remus would have demanded to know why. Lily was just the perfect Head Girl. And just luckily, James was Head Boy. Just another coincidence, but Remus supposed there'd be at least *one* Head Boy and Girl in the history of the school who stayed up late for snog sessions behind the greenhouses. He hid another smile, and turned back to the board, focusing more intently on Professor Hino's words. Professor Hino was a rather thin woman with pale skin and amazing hair. It was amazing not because of its length (though it hung to her knees), nor its perfect quality (though it was as straight as sticks and incredibly shiny - in Remus' opinion only Sirius had a more beautiful head of hair), but because of its color, which was a lovely deep plum color. Professor Hino insisted it was natural, but Remus had a sneaking suspicion she had been hit by a particularity stubborn curse at one point. He liked black better anyway.  
  
The bell rang for lunch, and Lily and Remus wandered downstairs to the Gryffindor table, animatedly discussing their class, and joined James, Sirius, Peter, and Grace at the end of the table.  
"You're never going to believe who I just saw your sister with, Remus," Grace said.  
"If it's Bobby Bennett again...." Remus grumbled.  
"No. It's Grub Jointly. From Slytherin."  
Everyone made a disgusted face. "Are you *sure*, Grace?" Remus asked.  
"Of course I'm sure!" she replied, nettled. "D'you think I could mistake a face like *that*?"  
"No, I suppose not," Remus said apologetically. "I'm sorry." He frowned in the direction of the Slytherin table. "They're all such a nasty lot. I really wish she'd open her eyes and look before she leaps."  
"Sirius, whatever happened between you two?" Grace asked curiously.   
Sirius arched a slender eyebrow. "Nothing happened - and I regret every second I spent with her - no offense, Remmie."  
"Not at all," Remus replied. "I'm her *brother* and I regret half the time I've spent with her."  
  
~September 6 - Gryffindor Tower, Seventh Year Boys' dorm~  
  
It was a miserable day outside, and the Marauders were taking advantage of the boring Sunday afternoon to work on their map. Remus was sketching now, while Sirius carefully recited the dimensions of the Astronomy Tower, tapping each line with his wand. James was frowning over 'Ancient Map-Making', still struggling with the concept of making people appear on the map.  
"Boy, I hope you know how to do this labeling thing, Remmie."  
"I think I've got it," Remus said calmly, sitting back and watching Sirius carefully enchanting the tower. "You just concentrate on making invisible people show up too."  
"Will do."  
Sirius finished enchanting the tower, and stretched. "You know, we ought to take this out for a test run soon as we figure out that people thing."  
"Like now," Remus said calmly, touching his wand to the parchment and murmuring a few quick words. "Done."  
"That was fast," Sirius said, gaping.  
"It's actually an easy spell," Remus said, picking up the map. "Now, people'll only show up on the parts of the map we have finished... so, since, for instance - we haven't finished the library yet. So every teacher could be hiding in the library to ambush us and we'd never know... but we *have* finished this floor - so... come on..."  
They left the common room, and Remus unfolded the map once the Fat Lady swung shut behind them. "See?"  
On the map appeared four tiny dots, labeled 'Remus Lupin', 'Sirius Black', 'James Potter', and 'Peter Pettigrew'. And just behind the dots was a thin line with one thick piece indicating an entrance. Just next to this thick piece appeared curly green writing, reading, 'To Gryffindor Tower'.  
But that wasn't all. They hadn't completed much on their map yet (just vague indications on each floor of where everything was supposed to go), but in the Great Hall they could see dots labeled 'Minerva McGonagall' and 'Albus Dumbledore' side-by-side. 'Rei Hino' was currently in her office, and 'Argus Filch' was lurking near the dungeons. And yet another dot indicated that 'Rubeus Hagrid' was in the Owlery.   
"This is *incredible, Remmie," James whispered, pushing his slipping glasses back up his nose. "God, I could *kiss* you."  
"So could I, and I think I will," Sirius said, putting an arm around Remus' shoulder and kissing his cheek. "What else can it do?"  
"Well, let's see if your Password Charm worked," Remus said, turning towards the Fat Lady. And sure enough, the password, 'Peanut Crisp', appeared in curly green writing in front of the portrait.  
"Good job, Siri," Peter said. "Let's check some more!"  
So they trooped down to the third floor, and stopped by the statue of the one-eyed witch. The tiny ink Sirius tapped the statue with his wand and a speech balloon appeared over his head, reading, 'Dissendium!'.  
"You know, we could get in big trouble with this," Peter said, but still unable to keep the impressed note out of his voice. "This is *incredible*."  
"More proud work by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," James said. "Hell, we could win an award for inventing something like this."  
"Maybe not," Remus said, tapping the map with his wand. "'Mischief Managed'! Imagine if some Dark wizards got a hold on something like this."  
"True, true," James sighed as they started back up to the seventh floor.  
  
~September 20 - Great Hall~  
  
"Quidditch tryouts are day after next," James announced at dinner, wearily sinking into a seat. Remus' heart went out to him. All his responsibilities as Head Boy, and all the homework their teachers had piled on them, now with Quidditch weighing on him as well, was sure to make him busy enough for two Jameses.  
"Fancy coming out, Siri?" James asked, ladling chicken soup into his bowl. "We've got to have a new Keeper, and a new Beater as well."  
Sirius shrugged. "I might," he said through a mouthful of noodles. "What do you think, Remmie?"  
"With a thick head like yours, I suggest you become a Beater," Remus said, not looking up from his Charms work.  
"Hey! I'm not thick-headed!"  
"Sometimes you are."  
Sirius started to reply, but James cut him off. "Sorry to interrupt this little lovers' quarrel, but we were talking about *Quidditch*......"  
"Right," Sirius replied. "I'll think about it, Jim, but I dunno. Watching Quidditch is one thing... but playing it is another thing entirely."  
"Suit yourself," James replied, then lowered his voice. "I figured it out."  
"What?" Peter asked.  
"How to make invisible people appear on the map," James said. "I managed to get a book out of the library last night while Lil and I were up there doing homework, and I copied it all down."  
"Brilliant, Jim!" Sirius said. "We can do that when we get upstairs.... I'm sure our 'precious' homework won't mind waiting a few minutes."  
They finished dinner rather hastily and hurried up to Gryffindor Tower. James pulled the map out from its hiding space under his Quidditch robes, then rummaged in his bag and pulled out one of his notebooks. He flipped rapidly through it, paused, and grinned. "Okay. We're in business. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"  
He took out his wand and tapped the parchment. Ink lines began to appear and spread, stretching into their partially-completed map. "Okay..." he murmured softly. "Let's see..."  
He held his wand to the parchment and murmured the spell softly, reading it from his notebook. When it was done, he tapped the parchment three times and murmured, "Fini!"  
"Did it work?" Peter asked.  
"Let's see," James said, digging the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk and disappearing from sight as he put it on. "Okay," his voice said from their left. "I'll go into the common room - keep an eye on the map."  
The door swung open and shut, and Sirius, Remus, and Peter bent low over the map. And sure enough, heading downstairs..... walking around the common room.... and heading back up the stairs was a dot labeled 'James Potter'. The door opened and closed again, and then an anxious-looking James appeared out of thin air. "Did it work?"  
"Brilliant, bloody brilliant, Prongs, old man," Sirius said, astounded. "That was perfect."  
James beamed and joined them on the floor beside his bed. "It worked?"   
"Of course it did," Remus said, smiling. "Incredible, Jim!"  
"Yes, really neat," Peter added enthusiastically.   
The four boys looked down at their map, frankly glowing with pride. Just to think they had done this all by themselves.... it wasn't likely there were many seventh years around who could. But then, there were precious few people who became Animagi at fifteen, Remus reminded himself.  
  
~October 12 - History Of Magic~  
  
Well, Sirius had ended up going out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and was now the new Beater (replacing Roger Wentworth, who had graduated last year). This was a rather frightening prospect, considering the possibility that Sirius might try hitting Bludgers at Snape and his greasy friends during games. But it was not as horrid as having Sirius on the same team as James. They goofed off a lot - but it didn't make a difference; as in their lessons, they never took anything seriously but got it right every time, just the same. As aggravating as they could be together, the team's captain, Jane Goodwind (Joe had graduated three years ago), couldn't get really mad at them. The fact remained that James hadn't missed the Snitch since that disastrous match against Hufflepuff in second year, and Sirius was a natural Beater, as it turned out. Gryffindor had slaughtered Ravenclaw in the first match of the year, two hundred and sixty to eighty.   
But there was a down side, of course. What with Quidditch practice and homework, James and Sirius were working harder than ever, and the map had to be put off at times. But it wasn't really *so* bad, Remus thought, it was still coming along well. Sirius insisted on study-breaks (he claimed he'd go mad without them), so they'd take turns sneaking off to the kitchens to get some snacks, then do a little more on the map. Remus had had to temporarily disable the people on the map; having them move around while they were drawing was very distracting. But since they had the major parts of the castle - from the first floor up to Gryffindor Tower - done, making test runs once and awhile was a necessity. So far, it was working splendidly.   
  
Right now, the Marauders were in History of Magic, a perfect opportunity to get some rest. Sirius was dozing, his eyes half-open and glazed over. It was creepy. And James was just staring glassily at Professor Binns, randomly writing down a name or date in an unintelligible scribble. Remus shook his head and poked them both in the ribs. Sirius snorted, and jumped, startled, then blushed when Remus and Lily started giggling at him. James looked down at his notes, sighed, and began trying to decipher his writing.   
"Quidditch'll wear us out," Sirius sighed, leaning over to peer at Remus' notes. "Goddamn, Remmie, you're so.... so...."  
"Thorough?"  
"No, the other word."  
"Rigorous?"  
"No! The *other* word!"  
"Diligent?"  
"That's the one!"  
"Thanks," Remus replied as Sirius scribbled away.   
  
~October 14 - Hogwarts Grounds~  
  
Remus kissed Sirius back, rather timidly, but enjoying it nonetheless. No, kissing Snape couldn't compare to this. This was just lovely.   
Sirius pulled back, panting. "Take it easy, Remmie," he teased. "Unless you want to take care of the - ah - resulting problem."  
"Siri, that's not funny," Remus said reproachfully.  
The truth was, he didn't really feel comfortable with the issue of sex (and never mind the fact they were right behind the greenhouses, where anyone could see - they could be the only people on the planet and he'd be just as uneasy). Within good reason - or at least, what he considered to be good reason. He really didn't want Sirius to see the scars from all his old transformations, and he was sure to get all nervous and self-conscious and spoil the whole thing. Not to mention the werewolf factor. He didn't really want to take a chance only to split up with Sirius later (though he doubted that would happen, *seriously* doubted). The prospect of being mated for life to someone who didn't care about him was *not* a happy one. He had never mentioned any of these reasons to Sirius; but he made it plain that sex was not on his mind.  
"Sorry," Sirius said humbly, and put an arm around Remus' shoulders. "I always forget, don't I?"  
"It's okay," Remus said, closing his eyes.   
"No, I should remember," Sirius said, a note of self-disgust in his voice. "I don't want to upset you." He paused, and kissed Remus' forehead. "Here. I'll put it this way. I promise I won't talk about it to you anymore - I'll let you decide."  
"Me?" Remus said, surprised.  
"Yes, you," said Sirius softly. "I'll leave it all up to you. I'll wait until you decide *you're* ready, and I won't say a single thing about it until then... okay?"  
"Okay," Remus sniffled, touched. "You're so good to me......"  
"Don't cry on me, now," Sirius warned, pulling out his handkerchief and handing it to Remus. "I like seeing you happy, but you cry too much as it is."  
Remus giggled through his tears, and wiped his eyes. "Okay. I'll try."  
  
~Remus' Journal - October 14~  
  
-Sometimes I really think I don't deserve Siri. He's so good, and so patient, considering I'm not willing to go along with something he really wants. He's just..... I dunno, perfect, I guess. Like an angel, almost. Well, okay, perhaps 'angel' is NOT the best word for him, considering what he and Jim get up to sometimes. Oh, and okay, all the... er... *misunderstandings* we've had in the past. But I'm willing to overlook all that.... I mean, we're only dorky teenagers. We're bound to screw up every once in a while, right?-   
  
~October 20 - Full Moon - Hogsmeade~  
  
With a loud bark, Padfoot tackled Prongs and knocked him into a tangle of shrubbery. Moony and Wormtail followed, and if they had been able, they would have been laughing. Prongs raised his head only to find his antlers tangled with the bushes, and gave Padfoot a disgusted glare. Padfoot rolled onto his back and thumped his tail on the ground, and Prongs snorted irritably, shaking his head to free his antlers from the bushes. Then he jumped up and charged at Padfoot, who dodged and and bounded away in the opposite direction.   
Moony jumped up to follow, Wormtail clinging to his long fur in an effort to stay on his back. Padfoot barked, his tail wagging joyfully, and jumped at Moony, who snapped playfully at him, then galloped off down the path toward the school, Padfoot and Prongs at his side.  
They bounded straight down to the lake and plunged in, barely feeling the cold water through their thick coats, and swam to the other bank without hesitation. As they emerged, dripping, from the icy water, Moony caught sight of the round, silver moon, hanging in the velvety purple sky like a coin. He tilted back his head (nearly upsetting Wormtail) and howled, a long, melancholy note that echoed around the empty grounds. The sound delighted him, and he howled again, Padfoot joining in this time. That was better, and he tackled Padfoot (sending Wormtail flying, but he was deftly caught by Prongs). This was what he had craved more than anything during his transformations - a pack. Friends who he was devoted to, and wished to protect, and who would do the same for them. Loneliness was one of the worst feelings in the world, he was sure of it. He wouldn't trade his friends for anything...  
  
~November 20 - Hogsmeade~  
  
The rare peaceful Hogsmeade trip, Remus thought to himself, chuckling. Well, it was only peaceful because they had all decided to go off by themselves today, to do a little Christmas shopping. Right now Remus was in Dervish and Banges, browsing through the enchanted instruments and doodads. He was sorely tempted to buy Lily a self-applying makeup kit, but he knew very well he'd most likely get a smack upside the head for his troubles. Lily was *very* sensitive about her looks (almost as vain as Sirius) and a present like that would probably give her the wrong idea. Instead he ended up getting her a book, 'Advanced and Rare Charms', that he knew she'd like - Charms was her best class, and she loved learning obscure spells.   
Hmm. Now that he had Lily, James (a Sneakoscope, because he knew James wanted one), Peter (a vast box of all his favorite sweets, including Exploding Bon-Bons and Wintergreen-flavored Jelly Slugs), Grace (an album for her Famous Witches and Wizards cards - she'd been hinting around), and his family, it was time for Sirius. Hmm. This would be hard. He wanted to give Sirius something... really smashing, something meaningful. Whatever it was, it wasn't likely he'd find it in Zonko's, or Honeydukes'...   
He wandered past Gladrags Wizardwear and the Three Broomsticks, thinking hard. Hmm. Now, if *he* were Sirius, what would he really want? See in a store and not rest until it was his? Maybe even drop a few hints to his boyfriend about?   
A sign caught his eye, and he stopped dead.  
"'Miss Kaiou's Fine Magical Jewelry'," he read aloud. Well, that sounded like an excellent place to look. Sirius loved silver jewelry, and Remus was willing to bet this shop had some.  
He pushed the door open, and a small, silver bell tinkled overhead.  
"Coming," a woman's voice called from around the corner.  
Remus put his parcels down and looked around as the sound of high heels clicking on the hardwood floor came closer.  
"Good morning, dear," a woman said, appearing from the back room. "I am Miss Kaiou, how may I help you?"  
She was a short, slender woman with brilliantly blue eyes and long, wavy hair, which was a lovely ocean-green color. She wore robes of teal and cobalt, and she gave Remus a warm smile as she approached him.  
"Well, I'm looking for a present for someone," Remus said, feeling immediately at ease with this woman (a surprise, since he was usually very awkward around strangers).   
Her smile widened. "For someone special, I take it," she said. "A romantic interest, am I right?"  
Remus blushed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, and even though he was growing redder by the second, he couldn't resist adding, "Someone *very* special."  
Miss Kaiou laughed, a sweet, tinkling laugh much like that of the bell over the door. "I see! And you want them to be impressed, do you not?"  
"Yes, very much," Remus said.   
"Very well, let's see what we can do," Miss Kaiou said pleasantly. "What does he like?"  
"Well, he -" Remus stopped, and looked curiously at her. "How did you know...... it was a he?"  
"Oh, my dear, I've seen you with him," Miss Kaiou answered. "Tall, with long black hair.... he's quite handsome. What's his name?"  
"Sirius," Remus replied shyly. "Like the star."  
Miss Kaiou beamed. "I think I have the answer..... follow me...."  
She lead Remus over to a wide selection of astrological-styled jewelry. Remus' eyes widened as he looked at it all. Gold, silver, copper, platinum, turquoise.... necklaces with planet charms; rings with birth signs; tiny comet-shaped badges with glittering, color-changing tails..... It was some of the most beautiful jewelry Remus had ever seen in his life, but most of it was just a little too fancy for Sirius. But then something caught his eye.  
*Why* it caught his eye he could never explain, not even to himself. It was just a star pendant on a delicate silver chain, but as soon as his eyes landed on it, Remus knew it was *perfect*.   
Miss Kaiou noted the direction of his gaze and carefully handed its box to him. He ran a fingertip along the fine chain, marveling at such a beautiful thing. He could just picture it around Sirius' neck, contrasting with his hair and skin...  
He looked hopefully up at Miss Kaiou. "This is perfect, I know he'd love it.... how much is it?"  
"Seven Galleons," Miss Kaiou answered, and Remus' heart leapt. That would be the last of his Christmas-shopping money, but it would be worth it, just to get this gorgeous necklace for Sirius.  
"I'll take it," he said, and Miss Kaiou beamed.   
"Very good!" she said happily, taking the box from him and bringing it over to a small counter nearby, where she began to gift-wrap it. "Your Sirius will love it, I'm sure..."  
And as Remus started to walk over to her, something else caught his eye. Similar in style to the star necklace, it was a moon pendant on a silver chain. Usually Remus detested anything and everything that had to do with the moon, but this necklace somehow sparked his interest. Oh, but he didn't have enough money... That was all right, he thought as he handed his money to Miss Kaiou. He always got money from his aunt and uncle for Christmas; he'd come back later and buy it.  
He thanked Miss Kaiou, who kissed his cheek and replied, "You come back soon, and bring your friend. I want to see how that necklace looks on him!" Remus promised, and left, heading back to Hogwarts and feeling happier than ever.  
  
~November 21 - 10:00 AM - Hogsmeade~  
  
Sirius frowned, lost in his thoughts as he trudged up the road to the village. Yesterday had been an almost-successful shopping day. True, he had gotten presents for James, Peter, Lily, Grace, and his whole family (even his stupid brother-in-law, Brad). But he hadn't found a single thing for Remus. Well, there had been lots of things he could have gotten for him, but none of them had that 'Remus-ness' to it... He wanted something impressive, something that just seemed to show every one of Remus' good qualities....... which there were lots of....  
So he had slipped out this morning, before the other Marauders woke up (Sunday was their day to have a lie-in), determined to find that perfect gift today. It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays.......... he'd stay here all day, looking, if he had to!  
He stopped in front of a small, cozy-looking store and read the sign, his head cocked to the side in a very Padfoot-esque way. 'Miss Kaiou's Fine Magical Jewelry'....... He had never seen Remus wear a piece of jewelry in his life, but something about this store demanded his attention. He pushed open the door and went inside.  
When she heard the bell ring, Miss Kaiou hurried up to the counter. When she saw who was standing there, she could barely suppress a pleased smile. The friend of that nice young man from yesterday....  
  
Sirius had been admiring a display of enchanted stick-pins which changed into a different flower each month when Miss Kaiou approached him. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "May I help you today?"  
"Boy, I sure hope so," Sirius said, returning her smile. "I'm looking for a Christmas present for my boyfriend."  
"I think I know who you're talking about," Miss Kaiou responded with a smile. "The quiet one with the light brown hair?"  
"How did you know?" Sirius asked, startled.  
"I've seen you together several times," Miss Kaiou said. "Now, what do you think he'd like?"  
"Well, I don't know," Sirius confessed. "To be honest, Remus isn't really a jewelry person. But I thought... you know, if I got him something really special... I know he'd love it, and wear it all the time..." he stopped, amazed. He wasn't shy (not by the longest stretch of the imagination), but he had certainly never expected to be telling a stranger about his boyfriend.... especially since there were precious few people who even *knew* he had a boyfriend....  
Miss Kaiou tilted her head to one side. "Well, then, dear.... perhaps you should think about what would look best on him..."  
"Silver," Sirius said immediately, imagining how the silver would contrast with Remus' hazel eyes and honey-gold hair. "Definitely silver."  
"All right.... follow me...."  
  
She led to a display of silver jewelry, just past the jewelry she had showed Remus yesterday. "You might want to consider some of this," she said, and Sirius gazed at it. Very nice stuff, excellent quality, but most of it just too flashy. As much as Remus loved him, Sirius thought, he wouldn't go around wearing leather dog collars with rhinestones, or rings that glowed in the dark. No, that wouldn't.....  
  
He stopped. Almost directly in front of him (how come he hadn't seen it straight away?) was the *perfect* thing. Just absolutely perfect. A crescent-moon pendant on a fine silver chain. No magical abilities, nothing flashy or attention-getting. It hung beside a star-shaped pendant that Sirius rather liked, and wouldn't mind having... but it was the moon necklace that caught his full attention, and he reached up and took down its box.  
"It's gorgeous," he breathed, not caring if he sounded like a girl. "Just... just gorgeous.... it's perfect..... how much?" he said, trying to control the wave of panic which rose inside him. Just his luck, it'd be far too expensive for him to afford..... dammit! No, he'd spend every last bit of gold he had on it if he had to. He *had* to get this for Remus.  
"Seven Galleons," Miss Kaiou told him, and Sirius went limp with relief. He had brought nearly three times that much, just in case.....  
"I'll take it," he said, a little breathlessly.   
Miss Kaiou smiled and took the necklace over to the counter to gift-wrap it. "A good choice," she said to Sirius. "I think he'll really like it. And I think it'll look lovely on him."  
Sirius handed her his money and carefully took the small parcel and tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks so much," he said to her. "I was beginning to worry I wouldn't find the perfect thing."  
"You're very welcome, dear," she said, kissing his cheek. "Come back soon, and bring him with you - I want to see what that looks like on him!"  
Sirius promised and bade her goodbye, then practically skipped back to Hogwarts. He just knew Remus was going to love his present...  
  
~December 10 - Gryffindor common room~  
  
Remus glanced up from his Charms homework and saw Serena entering the common room. A thought occurred to him, and he put down his quill and hurried over to her. "Sere, can we talk?"  
"Um, all right," she replied., looking suspicious. Remus rarely ever looked so serious when he had to talk to her - what was up? She gulped. Maybe he had found out about her reading Sirius' journal? She glanced over at Sirius, but he was sitting with James Potter and the two of them were working busily on something. She looked back at Remus, who was looking graver than she'd ever seen him.   
"Sere, I've got to know, what *is* there between you and Grub Jointly?" Remus asked.  
Serena sighed. "I don't see what everyone's so upset about. Gregory's very sweet."  
"*Gregory*?"  
"Well, you didn't think his parents actually named him *Grub*, did you?"  
Remus shook his head. "We're getting off the subject. He's a Slytherin, Sere - you know how nasty they all are. You shouldn't bother with him."  
"As if Slytherins are the only bad ones?" Serena asked haughtily. "What about Sirius? If we go by *your* reasoning, the bastard should be in Slytherin."  
"You're just mad at him for not being in love with you," Remus said angrily. "You don't know him like I do - He's a lot more romantic than -" He stopped, horrified. Oh, how could he have been so stupid?  
Serena's eyes widened. "Remus! Are you saying - are you - you and Sirius.... are together?"  
"Don't you dare tell anyone!" Remus said, panicking. "Especially not Mum and Dad!"  
"Why shouldn't I?"  
"Because I'll tell them you're with a seventh-year Slytherin!"  
"At least he's not another girl," Serena retorted, but she was feeling nervous. Her parents would be very unhappy to know Remus was with Sirius, but they'd be even more unhappy if they found out she was with a Slytherin....  
"Okay, I won't say a word," she said desperately. "Just don't say anything about me and Gregory to Mum and Dad!"  
"All right..." Remus agreed. "But you've got to get away from him, sis." He went back to his table, shaking his head. Serena was almost *impossible* to talk to.... All right, she had a point, he knew he'd have to tell his parents about himself and Sirius sooner or later. But he *definitely* preferred later.  
  
~December 25 - Christmas - 7:00 AM~  
  
Remus woke up on Christmas Day when James hit him with a pillow and yelled, "Oi! Remmie! Presents!" from across the room.  
With a grumble, Remus peeked over the edge of the covers. "What time is it?"  
"Seven o'clock," James answered cheerfully. "Happy Christmas!"  
"Happy Christmas," Remus replied, sitting up. "You could have let me sleep later, you know."  
"Nah," James shrugged. "Too excited. C'mon, help me get Siri and Pete up." He launched his other pillow across the room, hitting Sirius square in the face, making him yelp and roll out of bed.  
"JIM!" he bellowed. "What gives?! It's too early to get up!"  
"That's what Remmie said," James sniggered.  
Remus shook his head and got out of bed, going over to Peter's bed and shaking him gently. "Time to get up, Pete."  
"That'll never work," James said, grinning, and Remus ducked as James and Sirius threw every pillow they had at Peter.  
Peter sat up and yelped, "Avalanche!" Then he looked around and blushed. "Oh, it was only a dream," he said. "Why'd you wake me up so early?"  
"It's *Christmas*, Pete," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Duh."  
"Presents!" Peter exclaimed, finally noticing the heap of packages at the foot of his bed and reaching for the topmost one.  
  
Remus went back to his bed to open his own presents. The first package was from his mother, containing a new sweater, several new pairs of socks, and a tin of prune fudge, which Remus hated. He usually picked out the prunes and ate the fudge plain. His aunt and uncle had sent him money as usual, and a book about historical witchcraft in Paris (which was where they lived). From James, a book called '101 Spells, Hexes, and Curses For A Rainy Day' (the title made them all giggle); from Peter, a set of fancy calligraphy brushes, pens and inks (perfect for Ancient Runes); and from Lily, a set of beautifully illustrated books on magical creatures - hippogriffs, dragons, unicorns, and the like.   
Sirius had just finished opening his presents as well, and he bounced over to Remus' bed. "Ready for your present, Remmie?"  
Peter gulped. "Hey, Jim and I are still here!"  
Sirius sniggered. "Pete! Naughty, naughty! It's all right, it's nothing you can't see."  
"I have something for you, too," Remus said shyly, starting to lean over to his nightstand. Sirius caught him by the arm and shook his head.  
"Nope, you first," he insisted, handing Remus a package wrapped in sparkly blue paper. Barely daring to breathe, Remus carefully untaped the corners and folded them back. He always opened presents very slowly and carefully, setting aside the bows and ribbons for later use, and he could see Sirius was nearly dancing with impatience. But he didn't hurry - sometimes it was fun to tease.  
"Enough suspense, Moony," said James, who had joined Remus and Sirius on Remus' bed. "I want to see what the stupid git bought you."  
"Okay," Remus sighed, and carefully slid back the paper to reveal a gray jewelry box. Fingers trembling ever so slightly, he lifted the lid (James and Peter leaned even closer), and his jaw dropped.  
"Holy cow," James breathed.   
"That's beautiful," Peter said in an awed voice.  
  
It was the silver crescent-moon necklace Remus had admired in Miss Kaiou's shop; up close it was even more stunning than he remembered. He fingered the chain gently, tilting the box this way and that to see the silver glimmer in the light. He looked up at Sirius, who was watching him rather anxiously.  
"Do you like it?" Sirius asked.  
"I love it," Remus said breathlessly. "How did you know I wanted it?" "I didn't, actually," Sirius said. "I just saw it and thought of you straight away."  
"Thank you, love," Remus whispered, leaning up to give him a kiss.  
Sirius took the box from Remus and carefully took out the necklace. Remus lowered his head obediently, letting Sirius fasten the chain around his neck. The chain was cold on his skin, and he shivered slightly. He hugged Sirius and kissed him again. "It's wonderful, Siri."  
"Glad you like it," Sirius said (as Peter began to retreat, sensing a romantic bit coming up). "Just - um, just remember to - um, take it off before you, you know, transform."  
"I will," Remus said, and then looked up at him. "D'you want your present now?"  
"Okay," Sirius agreed, and Remus carefully took the package (in sparkly purple paper with a burgundy bow - Professor Tomoe would have been proud) out of his drawer, then bashfully handed it to Sirius, who took off the bow and stuck it to his hair (joining several others) before proceeding to shred the paper into bits (he was *not* as patient as Remus). Once the final scrap of paper had been tossed on the floor unconcernedly, Sirius held up the small leather pouch. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "It's not Floo Powder, is it?"  
"You and Floo Powder are a dangerous mix," James said. "Come *on*, open it!"  
"Ah, shut up, Prongs," Sirius said cheerfully, carefully undoing the little drawstring pouch. He reached inside, snagged whatever-it-was on his little finger, and carefully lifted his out. His eyes widened when he saw what it was.  
"A conspiracy!" James laughed.  
"What is it?" Peter said, letting curiosity get the better of him and coming back over to the bed. "Oh, wow, that's nice."  
  
It was nice, very nice, Sirius had to agree. It was the star necklace that had caught his eye in Miss Kaiou's. He lifted it up, so James and Peter could get a good look too, and then kissed Remus firmly on the mouth.  
"A mind-reader," he teased. "You knew I wanted it."  
"I didn't," Remus said, astounded. "I just.... well, I saw it, and I thought-" -he blushed - "Well, I thought I'd get a star.... for my star."  
"This is getting mushy," Peter said, hastily getting up.  
"I agree," James said. "Let's, um, leave them to their business, and we'll just... um, go see if Lil's up or something." And so they fled.  
Remus and Sirius watched them leave, amused, and then turned back to each other.  
"It's simply beautiful, precious," Sirius murmured. "Thank you."  
"You're very welcome," Remus replied softly, and took the necklace from him. "Here, turn around."  
Sirius turned and held his hair out of the way. Remus slipped the necklace around Sirius' neck and closed the clasp, then kissed Sirius' shoulder. "Let me see." Sirius dropped his hair and turned around. Remus' breath caught in his throat - the silver looked even better against Sirius' skin than he could have imagined.   
"I take it it looks good on me," Sirius teased, before pulling Remus into his arms for a 'Christmas snog'.  
  
~January 13 - Great Hall~  
  
"I feel ill," James said.  
"Me too," Sirius agreed.  
Remus sighed. It was *always* the same thing before a Quidditch match, and now Sirius was joining in on the complaining. Today was Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff.  
"Me three," Peter agreed, poking at his scrambled eggs unenthusiastically. "It must be contagious."  
"Oh, stop it," Remus said impatiently. "You know as soon as you get out there you'll be fine." he glanced at his watch. "It's almost eleven, we should go."  
They got up and headed outside, joined by Lily and Grace, who met them in the Entrance Hall, and paused at the locker rooms.  
"Good luck," Lily said softly, leaning up to kiss James.  
"Ditto," Remus said, kissing Sirius. "Crush those Hufflepuffs."  
"Maybe I'll disgust them into forfeiting by throwing up on one of them," Sirius said, smiling weakly, and followed James into the locker rooms. The others hurried up to seats in the uppermost row, to get a good view.   
The teams came out onto the field, along with Madame Hooch. Izzy Jordan was commentating as usual.   
"Here comes the Gryffindor Team - Potter, Goodwind, Wood, Yamachi, Black, Cleaver, and MacKenzie - the finest team we've seen in a while - and the Hufflepuff Team - Bennett, White, LaRue, Whalebone, Jamison, McLargeHuge, and Diggory. Another outstanding lineup, this could get really rough... Madame Hooch blows her whistle.... the Quaffle is released - and they're off!"  
Izzy was right, both the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams were fantastic, and evenly matched. It was all Sirius and Theodore Cleaver could do to keep the Bludgers away from the rest of their team. The Gryffindor Chasers were passing the Quaffle so fast Izzy barely had enough time to mention their names, but the Hufflepuff Chasers weren't far behind.   
"Chaser Mary LaRue of Hufflepuff seizes the Quaffle - oh! that was close! - nice Bludger work there by Sirius Black of Gryffindor - a great Beater he is, wonder where he's been these past few years? - Gryffindor back in possession, Wood passes to Yamachi...."  
  
Remus cheered, watching as Sirius belted another Bludger at Jonah Whalebone. Sirius certainly looked delicious from down here - his hair escaping its ponytail (as it always did), and his eyes narrowed in concentration as he chased one of the Bludgers, knocking it away from Sora Yamachi. And the way he and Theodore Cleaver worked together... it was like they were reading each other's minds. But lost in his thoughts, Remus missed it as Sora Yamachi scored a goal for Gryffindor.  
  
"Gryffindor scores! Ten to zero!" Izzy shouted, startling him out of his reverie. Ooops. He'd better pay attention. He could drool over Sirius *after* the game.   
"Hufflepuff scores! Ten-ten!" Izzy shouted. "It's a tie - wait - Celeste Wood of the Gryffindor team gets the Quaffle - throws - oh! I say! - interception there by Hufflepuff Beater Jamison - watch out! Oh! Ten points to Hufflepuff...."  
James soared up above the game and scanned the field anxiously. Where was the Snitch? He caught a flash of gold, but it was only one of Sora's earrings. A Bludger pelted toward him; he dodged quickly and turned to see Sirius whack it furiously toward the Hufflepuff Chasers. "All right there, Jim?" he called, and James waved and nodded at him. Where was the Snitch?!  
"An excellent save by MacKenzie!" Izzy was saying, as the Gryffindor Keeper caught the Quaffle. "Caught by Yamachi - passes to Wood - passes to Goodwind - score!"  
  
And then, James saw it - just above the Gryffindor goal posts. The Snitch was hovering just a little ways from Andrew MacKenzie, and apparently Bobby Bennett hadn't noticed it yet. James swerved around one of the Chasers and sped off to the goal posts. He was halfway there when Bobby Bennett finally realized what was going on and darted after him. But it was too late - James reached out and leaned forward as far as he could - and grabbed the Snitch.  
  
The stands exploded with cheers; Sirius soared over to James and they whacked each other in the arm before floating back to the ground. Remus, Lily, Peter, and Grace cheered until their throats were hoarse, and blew kisses down to the Gryffindor team.  
"Fantastic game!" Peter said as they pushed through the crowd, heading for the field.  
"Let's go get Jim and Siri and celebrate," Lily said.  
  
~February 1 - Potions~  
  
It was yet another horrid Potions class. Even more horrid than usual, and Sirius was ready to kill Snape. And within good reason. The stupid evil git had evidently been studying werewolves in Defense Against the Dark Arts today; he was loudly reciting the ways a werewolf could be killed, all of which were exceedingly nasty. It was just about the closest he could get to hinting one of their classmates was a werewolf without actually naming names. Poor Remus was continuing on with his work as if he wasn't listening, but Sirius could see the tremble in his fingers, and how pale he was. He growled softly under his breath. If he could have, he would have jumped up and started beating Snape within an inch of his life. But if he did that, it would be much to easy for everyone else in the class to figure out who was the werewolf...  
"But silver does it *every* time," Snape was saying loudly. "*Every* time."  
"What is going on in here?" Professor Kirk demanded, entering the room from the supply room with a severe frown on his sallow face. Never in Sirius' life had he ever thought he'd be glad to see the Potions master, and he hid a smile as he went back to cutting up his daisy roots.   
  
When the class ended and they all went down to lunch, Remus lagged behind, looking thoroughly depressed. Sirius put an arm around him. "Don't listen to Snape, love," he said. "He's just being a jerk."  
"He's right," James said as he, Lily, and Peter joined Remus and Sirius. "He's probably... I dunno, still mad at us. And he always does this - you know he tries to get under your skin in any way possible..."  
Remus wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I know. But I really wish he wouldn't talk about... you know. I mean, I can take the other stuff he throws at me, but.... something I can't help, and never wanted in the first place..." his voice wavered, and he looked away, a little ashamed.   
Lily gave him a hug this time. "Ignore him, Remmie," she said firmly. "You're a thousand million times better than Snape is, and something that slimy moron says to you shouldn't bother you."  
"Thanks, Lil," Remus said, feeling a little better. "You're all right - I'm being stupid. I'll try not to listen to him anymore."  
"That's my Moony," James said, smiling and punching Remus lightly on the arm. "And just you wait until the next Quidditch match - Gryffindor versus Slytherin! We'll show them good!"  
  
~February 16 - Gryffindor common room~  
  
Remus was studying for his N.E.W.T.S and absentmindedly munching on chocolate-covered cherries (Sirius had given him a huge box of them for Valentine's Day) when Peter climbed through the portrait hole and into the common room, blushing furiously. He came over to the table where Remus was studying (and where James and Sirius were working on the map), collapsed into a chair, and hid his beet-red face in his hands. "I can't believe what I just did."  
"What did you do?" Sirius asked inattentively, not looking up from the map, where he was detailing the lake.  
"I - um, well - that is to say, I....... well...."  
"Spit it *out*, Pete!"  
"I... askedGracetomarryme," Peter said in a rush.  
Sirius' head jerked up. "WHAT?!"  
Peter turned even redder. "You heard me...."  
"You old dog," James said, grinning. "What did she say?"  
"She...... she...... she said yes," Peter said, going so red he was nearly purple.  
James and Sirius grinned at each other, then at Peter (it was scary, Remus decided, how much those two looked like brothers when they smiled like that).   
"Kudos, Pete," Sirius said, ruffling Peter's hair. "You go."  
"Ditto," responded James.  
"Congratulations, Pete," Remus said, smiling at him. "Did you tell your parents?"  
"Ages ago," Peter said. "When I told them I was thinking of asking her... they sent me a whole bouquet of enchanted roses to give her.... they never wilt or anything....."  
"I'll say that's pretty much the go-ahead," Sirius said, impressed. "Damned if my parents'd do the same..."  
"But," said Peter, "We still need a ring."  
"You don't have a ring?" Remus asked.  
"I have the money to buy one," said Peter bashfully, "But I didn't want to get Grace anything she might not like... and I couldn't think of a way to find out what kind she'd like without giving it all away... so... I guess what I'm asking is where did you get those necklaces, and did they sell engagement rings?"  
"I dunno if they do, but we can sure try," Sirius said cheerfully. "Mind if we tag along? Turns out both Remmie and I promised the shopkeeper a visit, and we haven't been able to hold our promise yet..."  
"Okay," said Peter, feeling rather relieved. (Frankly, he had been hoping they would come along - in case he needed to borrow money off them or something.) "When's the next Hogsmeade weekend?"  
"March," James answered, craning his neck to peer at the bulletin board. "Yeah. The fifth."  
"Problem solved," Sirius said, going back to the map.   
  
~March 5 - Hogsmeade~  
  
Remus and Sirius led the way to Miss Kaiou's, with Peter, Grace, James, and Lily trailing behind them. They passed Gladrags Wizardwear and the Three Broomsticks, and marched up the steps of the jewelry shop.  
Miss Kaiou looked up with a smile when the silver bell tinkled. Her smile widened when she saw who it was, and she put down her quill and went around the corner to meet them. She kissed both Remus and Sirius on the cheek, and stood back, studying them for a moment.  
"Very nice," she proclaimed. "You two have good taste." She noticed their friends, and said, "You've brought friends? If only I had known, I would have put the kettle on!"  
"Well, we're here on business," Sirius replied with a grin as Lily and James pushed Peter and Grace forward. "Our friends are getting engaged."  
Miss Kaiou clapped her hands together. "Really? How wonderful! Congratulations!"   
"Thank you, ma'am," Peter said shyly, finding his voice at last. "Do you sell engagement rings?"  
"Indeed I do," Miss Kaiou said, leading them all over to a display case filled with hundreds of rings, separated by what kind of metal they were made of - gold, silver, or platinum. The six teenagers bent over the display case, intently gazing at the rings. Some had were set with jewels that alternately changed from a diamond to the wearer's birthstone; some had diamonds in the shape of animals; others had beautiful engravings; still others changed color according to the wearer's mood - and went by moods, not like the cheap Muggle rings that went by body heat. They ran the gamut from the small and secretly beautiful to the ostentatious and flashy; Remus felt he could look forever and never see all those rings.   
"Wow," James said, sounding as impressed as Remus felt. He pointed at a small selection of rings with differently-colored jewels, each marked 'DANGEROUS' and priced at ninety Galleons apiece. "What do those do?"  
"Those are Element Rings," Miss Kaiou said, "Each allowing the user to harness and control the powers of the four elements - Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth. They're very limited, and extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - that's why they're so expensive..." She held out her left hand, on which glimmered a plain gold band (a wedding band? but then why was she *Miss* Kaiou?) and one of the Element Rings, set with a blue jewel. "You see? This is Water. But you can't even purchase one of these rings without special permission from the Ministry of Magic."  
"Wow," said Peter, his eyes widening.  
"I don't need anything like *that*," Grace giggled. "But, Peter - look at this one!" It was a band of white gold, set with tiny diamonds, and a pearl in the center. "That's the one I want," she said firmly.  
So Miss Kaiou went to find a ring in Grace's size, and Peter paid for it, then gulped, looking uneasy. He took Grace's hand and said shyly, "I know you already said yes, but let me ask again. Grace, will you marry me?"  
"Yes, of course!" Grace said, blushing as deeply as Peter, and he slipped the ring on her finger.   
"Awwwwwwww," James and Sirius said teasingly, making them blush even more.  
  
~April 2 - Gryffindor common room~  
  
"Finished!" Sirius said proudly, rubbing his aching wrist. "Hours and hours and hours of work - nearly nine months of it - but we're done!"  
James beamed down at the map. "Our finest work yet. All it needs is a title......."  
"How about... the ... Marauder's Map?" Peter suggested timidly.  
"Perfect," Remus beamed. "And I have an idea... hold on..." He took the map from Sirius and turned his back to them, mumbling a few words. Then he wiped the map clean and handed it back to Sirius. "Okay, try it."  
Sirius tapped his wand to the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."  
At once, curly green words began to scrawl across the top of the map, while more lines began forming the familiar rooms and passages of the castle. The heading read:  
'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, And Prongs  
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers  
Are Proud To Present.....  
The Marauder's Map '  
And after a few seconds, the words faded away, revealing the rest of the map. Tiny, labeled dots moved throughout the corridors and paced in rooms; they could see Dumbledore heading for the staff room and Hagrid crossing the grounds, heading for the lake.   
"It's *incredible*," James breathed, pushing his glasses up on his nose and leaning forward for a closer look. He glanced up at Remus and asked skeptically, "'Messrs'? As in 'monsieurs'?"  
"What do you want, I'm French and it sounds classier," Remus replied.  
"Hard to believe dunderheads like us managed this," Sirius said, awed. "And admit it, Jim, it *does* sound classier."  
"I can't believe we're finally done," Peter said.  
"Well, it's worth it," Remus said, smiling. "Pete was right - if we *could* sell stuff like this without Dark wizards getting ahold of them, then we'd be millionaires."  
"Billionaires," Sirius corrected.  
"Trillionares," sniggered James.  
"Million-billion-trillionares..."  
"Million-billion-trillion-*gazillionares*..."  
"That's enough of that," Remus said firmly, a tad irritated. "Do you want to see if this thing works or not?"  
"Yes yes yes," Sirius and James said in unison, bouncing up out of their seats. "Let's go, go, go!"  
So off they headed towards the kitchens, keeping a careful eye on the map as they went. It worked perfectly; they were able to dodge Filch and Peeves, and narrowly avoid a nasty encounter with Professor Kirk. When they reached the painting of the fruit bowl, curly green words appeared:  
Tickle the pear.   
They did, and pulled open the painting to join the house-elves in the kitchen. They accepted a few eclairs and crisps from the house-elves so as not to be rude, and headed up the secret passage leading to the seventh floor, watching themselves in fascination on the map as they climbed up the hidden staircase. When they finally reached the Fat Lady, James tapped the map and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map went blank at once and he folded it up and hid it in his robes as they climbed through the portrait hole, barely able to hide their excitement. Once safely up in the dorm, James said, "Now we're prepared - with this and the cloak, we can wander around all night if we want to."  
"Some Head Boy *you* are," Sirius teased. "breaking your own rules."  
"Hey, I didn't write them. And rules were made to be broken," James laughed.  
"Whatever would dear Lil say if she knew?" Sirius asked innocently.  
James smacked him lightly on the head. "Blame it all on you."  
"Hey, I could still charm her into believing it was you," Sirius sniggered, then quailed under the furious glares Remus and James sent him. "All right! All right! I won't charm her!"  
  
~Sirius' Journal - April 22~  
  
-Well, that Map is definitely a *useful* thing. We went out again tonight and poked around the staff room. Dead boring, it is. About the worst thing we found was some old cloak of Flitwick's that looked like he might've swiped it from a dead relative. Ha ha. But considering how it looked, I figure he just left it there and forgot about it. We should've done him a favor and burned it, but then it would be too obvious that *someone's* sneaking around at night. Not good. And Flitwick's fashion sense is none of my business. I really do wonder what Lil'd say if she knew her precious Head Boy was wandering around after hours doing impressions of old McGonagall? But you have to admit, that was genius.... for a minute there, I felt like getting up and chasing him. Why do I always get that feeling around McGonagall? Heh. Must be the dog thing.-   
  
~May 1 - the Library~  
  
Things were getting quite complicated and busy for all the seventh years. Most were getting ready to take their N.E.W.T.s, starting to worry about grades and graduation, and begging professors for extra credit and make-ups. James and Sirius were actually working seriously, catching up on all the work they had been slightly behind on during the Quidditch season. The Quidditch season was now over and Gryffindor had won the Cup; Gryffindor had slaughtered Slytherin at the end of April, three hundred to fifty, and the Gryffindor team was in their glory. It had been one of the most fantastic games Hogwarts had ever seen, everybody agreed on that. But now there was nothing left to do but study, study, study.   
Remus was reviewing everything he had learned since first year, and trying to learn everything his teachers were teaching now, as well as some extra things he thought might be on the tests. Almost every night found him staying up until nearly two in the morning, working; James, Peter, and Sirius watched this with some amazement and warned him not to study too hard. Yes, yes, he knew that, and he always joined them on their after-hours excursions, but most of his time was spent hitting the books.   
"Remmie, aren't you tired?" Sirius asked sleepily one night. It was only eight o'clock, but watching Remus study had seemed to tire him out.  
"No," Remus mumbled, flipping through 'A Guide To Advanced Transfiguration'.   
James put his head on the table. "You sure take the energy out of us. Are you putting some sort of voodoo curse on us?"  
"Voodoo curse?" Sirius sniggered, at the same time as Peter, who looked rather frightened at the prospect of his werewolf friend using voodoo on him.   
"No, I am not using voodoo," Remus said, shaking his head. "Honestly...."  
  
"I'm hungry," Peter said a few minutes later, watching as James and Sirius forced Remus to pack up his things and stop studying for the night.  
"You need sleep, love," Sirius said firmly.  
"Yeah, a bloody lot of good all this studying'll get you if you fall asleep during the tests," James said. "Besides, they're not for more than a month!"  
"Okay," sighed Remus, running a hand through his tawny bangs. "Just this once...."  
"I'm hungry," Peter repeated.  
"Me too," said Sirius. "Let's put this stuff away and head for the kitchens, shall we?"  
So they dropped all of Remus' heavy books and papers in the common room, and James brought down the map.  
"I dunno if we'll need it, nearly everyone's in bed," he said, studying it as they started down the hall. "Peeves is up in the North Tower, and Filch's in his office.... but everybody else must be asleep, I don't see them on the map.... is that right, Remmie?"  
"Yes," Remus yawned. "You don't see sleeping people on the map unless they're sleepwalking."  
"Okay," said James cheerfully, wiping the map clean and putting it back in his pocket. "I don't suppose we really need it, then, but it's good to have handy."  
They crept down to the kitchens, whispering to each other and trying not to alert anyone. Sirius paused at the top of a staircase and frowned.   
"What is it, Siri?" Peter asked.  
"I get the feeling we really should've taken the shortcut," Sirius said.  
James pulled out the map and opened it. "It's okay, Siri, there's no one around."  
"Still...." Sirius said with a sigh. "Oh well. I'm no psychic; I guess we should press on." James wiped the map and put it away again, and they continued. But this time they didn't talk, each was beginning to get a feeling of being watched.   
They were very near the kitchens when the feeling became insurmountable. They stopped and looked around, standing close together.   
"I can't stand it anymore, Jim," Sirius whispered. "Take out the map and have another peek."  
"Sure hope it's not the monster in the Chamber of Secrets," James mumbled, and reached for his pocket. But before he could pull out the Marauder's Map, footsteps sounded, and they whirled around to come face-to-face with none other than Filch.   
"Out of bed again, eh?" he sneered unpleasantly. "Come along, you lot."  
  
Knowing all was lost, they reluctantly followed Filch to his office. Remus' eyes darted nervously towards the highly-polished manacles hanging on the wall. Okay, maybe Dumbledore wouldn't allow Filch to use them, but their presence was unnerving.  
Filch gave them an evil smirk, and addressed James. "Tut, tut. Head Boy and still breaking the rules. I don't think the Headmaster would be too thrilled with that..." He sat down and pulled another of his infamous forms toward him and began to fill it out.  
James didn't say anything. Even Sirius seemed to be at a loss for words. Peter gave a frightened squeak, and Remus had to shove his hands in his pockets so Filch wouldn't see them trembling. He hated getting into trouble so much! It always made him feel ill. He noticed the corner of the map sticking out of James' pocket and gulped. How to communicate to James without Filch noting?  
But he needn't have worried. Filch had seen the direction of his gaze, and barked suddenly, "Potter! What's that in your pocket?"  
"Just a piece of spare parchment," James said, trying to sound noncommittal.   
"Hand it here!"  
Remus' heart plummeted to his shoes, but he tried to keep guilt from his face. James and Sirius exchanged a look.  
"Now, Potter!"  
Very, very slowly, James took the map from his pocket and handed it over, mentally thanking his lucky stars that he had remembered to wipe it.  
Filch snatched it from James and peered closely at it. He looked up at them. "I believe I'll take this."  
Remus gulped again. All their hard work!....  
Even Sirius didn't protest. They waited quietly until Filch had finished their report, given them a detention, and then sent them upstairs. They didn't talk until they reached the common room.  
  
"I can't believe I was so stupid," James sighed, running his fingers through his unruly mane. "We shouldn't have gone out tonight, we should have *known* Filch was going to catch on sooner or later.."  
"We got too cocky," Sirius said unhappily as they climbed the stairs to their dorm. "And now we got the map taken away.... after we did *all* that work..."  
"You were right, Sirius," Peter said. "We should have taken the secret way. We should have listened to you..."  
"Don't blame yourself, Pete," Sirius said. "It's my fault too.... I shouldn't've tried to get you all to wander around with me..."  
"Just plain bad luck," Remus said as they pulled on their pj's and climbed into bed. "But one thing's for sure... we'd better not wander around after hours anymore. Filch'd love to have us serving detention during our graduation ceremony."  
"Agreed," said James, taking off his glasses. "I don't fancy cleaning the hippogriffs' paddock with my parents watching."  
  
~May 22 - Great Hall~  
  
The loss of the Marauder's Map had got the Marauders down for a few days, but their cheerful moods had returned after they finally were free from Filch's detention (cleaning all the soap-scummy shower stalls in the locker rooms near the Quidditch field). True, they missed the map, but exams and graduation were fast approaching, and they had little time to mourn the loss of their map. And on top of it all, James and Lily were kept busy composing a valedictory speech for the graduation ceremony (it was tradition for the speech to be read by the Head Boy and Girl). And as it was, all the seventh years were in the Great Hall right now, listening to Dumbledore, who was briefing them on graduation practice, which would take place almost immediately after the exams, June 26th and 27th.   
"You know," Lily said as Dumbledore dismissed them, "It's really sad to think about. We've only got a month left here..."  
"Yeah," Remus agreed sadly. "It's so much like home... I don't want to leave."  
"Me neither, but look at it this way," Sirius said, slipping an arm around him. "You and I'll go out and get ourselves a nice flat - how about in London? - and a chateau in France, and a private jet, and all that..."  
Lily giggled. "I think you're overestimating," she said.   
Sirius pouted. "You don't think we could?"  
"I don't think your parents would let you go that far away," she teased. "Right, Remus?"  
"Oh, be quiet," Remus said, blushing. But Lily's words had sparked a new worry within him. However on earth were he and Sirius going to tell their parents about their relationship? He didn't even want to think of how his family would react. Disown him, probably.  
  
~Remus' Journal - June 1~  
  
-I've tried to talk to Sirius about our parents. I ask him, "What exactly will we tell them, Siri?" and he just tells me not to worry, we'll just tell them the truth and see how they take it. Maybe Sirius' parents are mellow enough to take it, but I just know my parents'll kill me before they let me go anywhere with Siri, never mind if it's a flat in London or a chateau in France. Let *me* go anywhere? Siri won't even get out of the house. They'll probably curse him right on the spot.   
I've got to study. The N.E.W.T.s are coming up soon, I guess I'll just take Siri's advice and worry about this later. I don't want to be all preoccupied when the exams start.-   
  
~June 26 - First day of Graduation Practice - Great Hall, after dinner~  
  
The exams had gone rather well, as it turned out. All the extra studying Remus had done had really paid off; and the cramming Sirius and James had done each night had somehow gotten them through. Even Peter had received top marks. There was nothing they'd rather do now then lay around outside and enjoy the peaceful weather. But they couldn't. Today was the first day of graduation practice for the seventh years, and they were packed into the sweltering Great Hall, being organized into alphabetical order by Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Remus was between Karen Longfellow, one of Lily's friends, and -ugh, shudder- Lucius Malfoy. The two avoided looking at each other, and tried to ignore the tennis ball James and Sirius were throwing to each other. This was dangerous, as they were so far apart in line, and anyone was going to get a tennis ball in the head any minute now.   
Professor McGonagall caught the tennis ball in one fantastic grab, making the seventh years cheer and catcall. She flushed and smiled a bit, then snapped back to her strict self and scolded Sirius and James. Professor Flitwick, who was standing on the Sorting Hat's stool, finished organizing the last of the students and called, "All set, Minerva!"  
Professor McGonagall nodded and clapped her hands together for attention. When they had at last fallen silent, she said, "Now that you're all in order, take a minute and remember who you're sitting next to! I don't want any screw-ups! You all need to be in order so no one gets confused when Professor Dumbledore calls you up for your diplomas. All right, follow me... stay in line..."  
Somehow they managed to trail out the door and march down to the Quidditch field without getting too badly disorganized. Professor McGonagall had them file into rows of folding chairs which were sitting in the middle of the field before a great platform. "Remember where you're sitting and who you're sitting between!" she said. "It's *very* important that you stay in order..."  
  
After about an hour of sitting in the hard, uncomfortable chairs, when the sun began to go down, McGonagall and Flitwick dismissed them, and Remus hurried over to join his friends, very thankful to be away from Malfoy, who had been giving him suspicious glances throughout the rehearsal. He couldn't know Remus was a werewolf; that was just the old paranoia speaking up again. Remus figured Lucius had just finally figured out there was something going on between himself and Sirius.   
"You should've known better than to play ball inside," Remus scolded Sirius and James as they all headed up to the castle.  
"Well, it was still fun, and we didn't get in major trouble," Sirius said cheerfully, slipping an arm around Remus' waist. "You wanna go for a walk, Remmie?"  
"All right," Remus agreed, and looked at James, Lily, Peter, and Grace. "Go ahead, we'll catch you up."  
"All right," James said, sounding amused. "See you."  
  
Remus and Sirius wandered over to the lake, where they stopped for a while and watched the sunset.  
"Siri?" Remus asked.  
"Mmm?"  
"Did you really mean it that time when... you told Lily we'd live together?"  
"Of course I did," Sirius said. "You thought I was kidding?"  
"No...." Still somewhat skeptical.  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Remmie, how long is it going to take me to convince you? I *want* to be with you, don't you get it? I'm not going to cheat on you or run out on you or anything like that. I love you, you daft sod." And he pulled Remus closer and kissed him.  
After they ended the kiss, Remus rested his head on Sirius' shoulder, hugging him tight. Yes, he knew Sirius loved him, and he never suspected him of wanting to leave..... He knew it, but couldn't convince Sirius... but.... there was a way he might be able to...  
"Siri, come with me," he said suddenly, taking Sirius' hand. "Come on." He began to pull his boyfriend in the direction of the Whomping Willow.  
"Hey, wait a minute," Sirius said, confused. "What are you doing? Where are we going?"  
"The Shack," Remus said to him. "Come on."  
"Why?"  
Remus stopped and turned to him, smiling a little. He moved close to Sirius and leaned up to whisper in his ear.  
"Tonight. I want it to be tonight."  
Sirius' eyes widened as he realized what Remus meant. "Y- y- you do?"  
"Yes," Remus said. "Yes, I do...."  
"Okay," Sirius said, unable to keep a joyful grin from spreading across his face. "Lead the way."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
When they arrived at the Shack, Remus took Sirius' hand again and led the way up to the master bedroom. He wasn't completely sure why he wanted their first time to be *here*, of all places, but somehow it just seemed right. It was hard to explain it to himself, and he was glad when Sirius didn't ask him why they were here (as opposed to their dorm, Remus supposed. Not that the dorm was a good choice - they didn't need James or Peter walking in during a crucial moment). He closed the door and led Sirius to the bed, feeling more nervous than he ever had in his life.  
"Are you sure you want me?" he asked Sirius. "Absolutely sure? Because.... if there's any doubt... any at *all*.... we can't do this."  
"I'm more sure about this than I've ever been in my life," Sirius said seriously. "Trust me, Remmie. There's nothing I'd rather be than your mate for life."  
Remus sniffled and let Sirius pull him into a tight hug. "You're so good to me," he whimpered.   
"You deserve it," Sirius whispered into his ear. "Come here."  
He pulled Remus further back on the bed, so they were lying side-by-side. "No need to rush this," Sirius whispered. "We've got all the time we need."  
Mentally marveling over what a sweet, thoughtful boyfriend he had, Remus snuggled closer in Sirius' warm embrace, feeling sleepy. Mmm, this was nice. Had he once thought being held by Snape was nice? Wow, he had been naive then. This was a million - no, a billion - times better. With a promise of more to come. He closed his eyes. If it got any nicer, he was going to fall asleep. Hmm. Better do something about that.  
Sirius was running his fingers through Remus' hair and humming softly. Remus couldn't identify the tune (knowing Sirius, it would turn out to be a very *un*-romantic Muggle rock song), but it was still soothing. Okay. Deep breath. 'Let's get this underway,' he thought. Another deep breath. Then rather timidly, he let his hands slide down to Sirius' hips.  
Sirius stopped humming and smiled down at him. "Are you sure you're ready? It doesn't have to be tonight....."  
"It does," Remus said. "It has to be tonight...." he struggled to voice what he was thinking. "I mean, graduation's the day after next and.... I mean, we *met* at school.... and... oh..." He looked up into Sirius' midnight eyes. "I can't figure out how to tell you what I mean," he said helplessly, fiddling with the charm on his necklace.  
"It just seems like the right place?" Sirius murmured in his ear, making him shiver.  
"Yes, but I don't know why," Remus answered.  
"It's okay," Sirius said softly. "It feels the same way to me...." He took Remus' hands in his own and kissed him.   
It was a nice kiss, a *very* nice kiss... hell, it was a *sexy* kiss, and Remus felt something stir in the pit of his stomach. He reached up to loosen Sirius' tie, casting it aside without a glance, and began unbuttoning Sirius' shirt, sliding the starched white fabric off Sirius' smooth, tanned shoulders. Mmm, so far so good, he thought as the shirt drifted to the floor. Eep. Trousers came next.  
But Sirius must have felt Remus' unease, because he kissed him softly and instead removed Remus' tie and began to unbutton his shirt. Remus caught Sirius' hand. "Don't," he said, his voice trembling. "I don't want you to see.... my scars......."  
"Are you going to leave your socks on too?" Sirius teased gently, but then gave Remus' hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't say a word. Just let me do this...."  
He undid the last button and slipped Remus' shirt off, revealing pale skin crisscrossed with old scars. Remus cast a fearful look at his boyfriend's face, but no look of pity or - more importantly - revulsion came into Sirius' eyes. There was nothing but pure love and devotion in those inky depths, and finally the last of Remus' fear and uncertainty dissipated. He wound his fingers in Sirius' silky, midnight hair and allowed Sirius to finish undressing them both.   
"Beautiful....." Sirius whispered in his ear, tracing a finger along Remus' collarbone. "So beautiful..."  
  
And Sirius was gentle, ever so gentle, and the rest of the night was simply magnificent. There was only one problem - nighttime needed to be a few more hours longer, Remus decided. Either that, or humans needed to be able to survive without sleep.  
  
~June 27th - 6:00 AM~  
  
When Remus awoke the next morning, it took his still-sleepy mind a few minutes to figure out why he was in the Shrieking Shack. Then the memories of last night swept over him, and he opened his eyes.  
Sirius was still sleeping beside him, his long legs entangled with Remus', an arm draped possessively over Remus' chest. His hair had come almost completely undone from its ponytail, and was hanging in his face. Remus brushed it back lovingly, telling himself to have Sirius let it down next time. Sirius gave a sleepy grunt, but didn't wake. Remus snuggled closer and watched the band of sunlight from the window slowly crawl up his lover's legs.  
Sirius didn't wake up until almost eight. Remus was dozing and didn't realize Sirius was awake until a husky voice murmured, "Sleep well, love?"  
"Very well," Remus replied, opening his eyes. "Did you?"  
"Better than I have in a while," Sirius replied lazily, but then a note of concern entered his voice. "D'you feel okay?" He blushed. "I mean... the first time and all -"  
"I feel perfect," Remus said softly. "Even better than I did before."  
Sirius smiled and kissed his forehead. "Me too."  
They were quiet for a moment, then Remus decided it was time to bring something up. "Siri?"  
"Mmm?"  
"Um, I have to do something," Remus said, mentally debating how to word this.  
"What?"  
"Um, I have to, uh, kind of.... mark you," Remus said hesitantly. "Er, you know.... as my mate..."  
"How?"  
"Well.... I kind of.... have to bite you," Remus said uncertainly. Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow, so he hurriedly added, "You're not going to become a werewolf - it's just a mark - um, so everybody know's you've been claimed - oh, that's not what I meant!" He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Um, well, it's more like... so other werewolves know you're claimed - oh, I didn't mean that either!" he cried helplessly.  
Sirius only chuckled. "I think I know what you mean, Remmie. So Snapey sees it and *knows* you're not interested."  
Remus stared at him, then giggled. "Sirius!"  
"I'm just kidding," Sirius sniggered, but then he grew -no pun intended - serious. "Okay, go ahead."  
"You want me to?" Remus asked uncertainly.  
"Of course," Sirius replied. "I'd be honored." He sniggered. "And at least you're not tattooing 'Property of Remus J. Lupin, so sod off!' on my forehead."  
Remus giggled too, but quickly sobered. "Okay..... I'll try not to hurt you." He turned Sirius' head gently to the side and brushed his long hair off his neck, so the whole left side of Sirius' tanned neck lay open to him. He lowered his head and licked a spot just under Sirius' ear. "Right there," he murmured. "That's where it has to be."  
Sirius' breathing had grown uneven. "Do it," he said hoarsely.  
Remus hesitated, then lowered his mouth to Sirius' neck once more. He closed his eyes. 'Don't let me hurt him,' he thought, and bit his lover's neck.  
Sirius groaned, but not in pain. A tiny dribble of blood ran down his neck. Remus licked it away, then held the edge of the sheet to the wound to stop the bleeding. It healed almost instantly, leaving a small, red crescent-moon mark just under Sirius' ear. Remus let out a shuddery sigh of relief, and whispered, "Mine."  
"All yours," Sirius whispered back. "Forever."  
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
They didn't head back up to the castle until almost eleven. Halfway across the grounds they met up with James, who was returning from his beloved Quidditch field. He took one look at their somewhat mussed appearances and the blush spreading across Remus' cheeks and knew they hadn't been gone all last night for no good reason. He didn't comment, but joined them.  
"Saying goodbye, Jim?" Sirius asked.  
"Yeah," James sighed. "I'm really going to miss this place."  
"Buck up," Sirius said cheerfully. "Once you and Lil have a kid - I'm betting on at least four - you'll see a lot of this place. And hear from Dumbledore more times than you'll like - any kid of yours'll be as sneaky as us."  
Remus giggled at the look on James' face. "Four kids?"  
James winced. "I don't think I could stand it."  
  
~June 28th - Graduation Day - the Quidditch Field~  
  
"....And I wish you the very best of luck in your futures, and the very best of success." Dumbledore finished, beaming around at the graduating class. Remus applauded along with everyone else, feeling sick to his stomach. He was more nervous than he could ever remember being in his entire life, even more nervous than he had been before his Sorting (as impossible as that seemed). There were an *awful* lot of people here today, and he was *not* enthusiastic about getting up and shaking hands with Dumbledore in front of all of them.   
He snuck a look behind him at James, who winked at him. Remus managed a weak smile in return, then looked back at the podium, where Professor McGonagall was now making a speech. Remus didn't hear a word she said. He hadn't even been able to pay attention to James and Lily's speech earlier. Panic had him totally in its clutches. Nervously he smoothed out a tiny wrinkle in his black-scarlet-and-gold graduation robes. His stomach felt funny, as if a flock of butterflies was fighting to get out. He gulped as Professor McGonagall finished, and he applauded weakly. Here came the inevitable...  
Dumbledore, along with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had joined Professor McGonagall at the podium. Remus' leg twitched nervously as he watched the first row get up and start forward. His heart went out to Grace, who was the first one in line and looked exactly how he felt. But she shook hands with McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Fudge flawlessly, accepted her diploma, and made it back to her seat without tripping over her high heels or the hem of her robes. Then it was 'Darien V. Avery'.... 'Narcissa Beaumont'.... 'Annmarie L. Billings...'.... and then -   
"Sirius Black!" Professor McGonagall called.  
Grinning, Sirius practically bounded up to her. He paused once, looked at Remus, and blew him a kiss. Remus flushed but smiled back, and giggled when Sirius kissed McGonagall on the cheek before going to shake hands with Dumbledore and Fudge. It was just like Sirius, Remus thought, he's anything but his name.....  
Lily didn't trip either; Remus felt dreadfully sorry for her all the same, because she had been sitting between Crabbe and Goyle the whole time. He gulped as his row stood, and he took deep, calming breaths as they all marched up. 'Chad M. Jones'.... 'Sara M. Josephson'.... 'Mary LaRue' .... (his hands were beginning to sweat now).... 'Esther Leaf'.... (was that a heart attack coming on?) .... 'Karen Longfellow' (maybe he'd die before he had to go up there)...   
"Remus J. Lupin!"  
  
Ack. Horrors.  
  
Summoning all his courage, he got up the stairs. Oh, what the hell. He wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing, was he? He paused, smiled down at Sirius, and blew him a kiss. Sirius grinned, pretended to catch it, and winked at him. Then Remus shook hands with Professor McGonagall, then with Fudge, then accepted his diploma from Dumbledore.  
Dumbledore grasped Remus' hand in both of his own. "I think you and Sirius will be very happy together," the Headmaster smiled. "Good luck, Remus."  
"Thank you, sir," Remus said, squeezing Dumbledore's hands. "I think we will be, too."  
Praise the Lord *THAT* was over, he thought gratefully as he was finally able to sit down.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"That's my little boy!" Remus' mother sobbed, hugging Remus so tightly he couldn't breathe. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"  
"Mum, I can't breathe, let me go!" Remus gasped.  
"He's turning blue, Mum," Gill laughed, as Mrs. Lupin released her youngest son somewhat reluctantly. "Congratulations, little brother."  
"Good job, son," his father said, smiling down at him.  
"Now you can go get a job," Henri chuckled.  
"Oh, be quiet," Remus scowled, leading his family over to where the Blacks, Potters, and Evanses were talking. After a few quick introductions, Remus, Sirius, James and Lily walked a little ways away from their families to discuss summer plans.  
"More camping," James said, grinning. "And maybe sometime we can all take turns on your deathtrap, Siri."  
Sirius scowled. "It's *not* a deathtrap, Jim."  
"Let's see how you feel after you ride it again after a year of being separated from it," teased Lily. "We'll be scraping you off the sidewalk."  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sirius grumbled.  
  
"Come on, Lily," a voice said impatiently. It was Lily's sour, mean-looking sister, Petunia. "We're going now."  
"Okay," Lily said. "I'll be right there, Petunia. I just want to say goodbye."  
As soon as Petunia's back was turned, Lily gave Sirius and Remus each a kiss on the cheek, and a quick kiss on the lips for James (but not as long as she'd like, in case Petunia turned around again).   
"Where are Peter and Grace?" she asked. "I want to say goodbye to them, oh, and to Debbie and Zoe and Cali too...."   
"I'll help you find them," James volunteered, and off they went.  
  
Remus and Sirius turned to look at their families, who were still chatting pleasantly with the Potters and Evanses.   
"How are we going to tell them?" Remus asked helplessly.  
"I dunno," Sirius said with a shrug. "But look at it this way - we won't have to tell them right away......"  
  
To Be Continued  
  
(Coming Soon : Year 8, the first of the post-Hogwarts years! Sirius and Remus finally realize it's high time they tell their parents about their relationship. The news does not go over as well as they'd hoped, sadly. How are they going to get each other alone now? Well, with the help of a very lovely family member..... James and Lily get engaged, Peter and Grace hit a rocky road, someone dies, and a huge surprise awaits our favorite canines. What could it be?)  
  



	8. Year 8, Post Hogwarts 1 Meet The Paren...

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... I don't own Setsuna Meiou (Sailor Pluto), the owner of Chronos. She belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, as all my extras seem to. I do own the restaurant/pub Chronos. Don't steal it! My pub! MINE!  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Hee hee. Can't live without it. And also some very angry, kind of abusive parents. Also this chapter has a lot of sadness. Just so you're forewarned.  
  
First Appearances: Siri's grandmother, Delphinus. You'll love her, I promise. Siri's Aunt Kayleigh, his brother-in-law Brad, and Remmie's brother Henri. I made them up! Don't steal them!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 8 - Meet The Parents  
  
  
  
"It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black."  
-the Rolling Stones, 'Paint It Black'  
  
  
  
~July 8, 1982 - Sirius' Bedroom~  
  
"Gotcha!" Sirius crowed, grabbing hold of Remus' ankle. "Thought you could get away, did you?"  
He pulled Remus into his lap and held him tight, nuzzling his neck. Remus giggled and squirmed in his arms. "Gerroff, Siri!"  
"Suppose I don't want to?"  
"Well, *I* want to get up," Remus said in a teasing voice. "For some reason, sitting in your lap is *very* uncomfortable. I can't imagine why."  
"Oh, that was subtle," Sirius said, and they both giggled. Sirius began tickling Remus. "Better?"  
Remus giggled madly, tears streaming from his eyes. "Come on, gerroff!" He twisted around in Sirius' grasp and pinned him to the bed.  
"Mmm, I like this better," Sirius said, his voice growing huskier.   
"Me too," Remus murmured, leaning down and placing light, teasing kisses on Sirius' neck and shoulders.  
Sirius moaned, and rolled over, meaning to pin Remus underneath him and take him right now, regardless of the fact his family was scattered all throughout the house and would most likely overhear them. But -  
*CRASH*.  
"What the hell!" Sirius shouted. They had rolled right off the bed.  
Remus began giggling again. "Your bed's not big enough, love!"  
"What's going on up there?" Mrs. Black's voice called from the foot of the stairs.  
"Nothing, Mum!" Sirius yelled back. "Remmie just pushed me off the bed!"  
"Stop horsing around!" his mother ordered. "I thought the chandelier was going to fall right off the ceiling!"  
Remus looked at Sirius in amazement. "You have a chandelier in this house? I'm surprised. Your parents didn't seem the... chandelier type."  
Sirius sniggered. "I'd forget it was there, if it weren't for the dust and dead spiders falling into my food. D'your parents have one?"  
"You jerk," Remus said, punching him in the arm. "Dead spiders my arse. No, we don't have a chandelier. You can't imagine what a shame it is - we're French and we don't have a chandelier in the dining room. My parents get so embarrassed when relatives come for a visit."  
"Really?" Sirius asked.  
"Really really," Remus said.  
"You can have ours if you want. My bed's right over it - an hour or so and it'll probably come down."  
"SIRIUS!"  
  
~July 17 - the Potter house~  
  
Sirius and Remus dismounted the motorcycle, taking off their helmets and shaking out their hair. Remus was very glad to be off. He really didn't care for riding on it, even though he thought Sirius was as sexy as hell on it...  
"You're getting a car if you want me to ride with you all the time," he told Sirius as they went up on the porch and knocked.   
"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius pouted.   
Remus shook his head and was about to reply when the door was opened by a very excited-looking Lily. "Come on in," she said happily. "Jim's waiting....."  
"What did you want to tell us, Lil?" Sirius asked as they followed her into the dining room.  
"Not just yet," she said. "Not until Grace and Peter get here. Sit, sit, sit!"  
They sat. James seemed to be just as excited and nervous as Lily; he kept fiddling with his keys and getting up to peer out the window. Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. It wasn't like Jim to be like this. What was up?  
The doorbell rang and they all nearly toppled from their chairs, and James' arm gave a nervous jerk that sent his keys flying into the fishbowl. Lily bounced to the door, looking extremely jittery by now, and returned with Grace and Peter, who looked just as dumbfounded as Sirius and Remus felt.  
"Are you going to tell us *now*?" Sirius asked.  
"After dinner," Lily said, starting to go into the kitchen, but Sirius caught her by the arm.  
"Lil, you're so jumpy and excited you'd smash a thousand plates if I let you go in there," Sirius said, "And never mind the fact that Jim's family only has plastic plates. Sit down, take a deep breath, and tell us what's up."   
Lily took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. She was beginning to look like a fish out of water. They all struggled not to laugh at the look on her face. Lily looked helplessly at James, who opened his mouth and was only able to make a strange gurgling sound.  
"Lil! Jim!" Sirius said impatiently. "Before we're as old as Nicholas Flamel, please!"  
Lily couldn't seem to talk. Instead she whimpered and held out her left hand. On the third finger glimmered a gorgeous diamond ring.  
They stared at it for a few minutes. Then Sirius got up, walked around the table, and seized James and Lily in a bone-crushing hug.  
"Siri!" James howled, finally regaining his voice. "That hurts!"  
"Shut up," Sirius said cheerfully. "You prat, why didn't you *tell* me sooner?"  
"Because I wanted to make sure Lil said yes," James replied.  
Sirius looked at Remus, Peter, and Grace, and rolled his eyes. "He wanted to make sure she said *yes*," he repeated, and said to James, "You're daft, I hope you know that. Why *WOULDN'T* she say yes?!"  
"I dunno," said James, blushing. "But you never know...."  
Sirius looked like he was going to make a sarcastic comment, but Remus interrupted him. "Congratulations," he said, getting up to hug them both. "I can't see what took you so long. You were the most obvious couple since Pete and Grace."  
"Or you and Siri," Lily replied, being hugged by Grace. "*You* two took forever."  
"Oh, be quiet," grumbled Sirius. "Where's the food?"  
"You and food!" Remus said. "They tell us the most important news of their lives and all you can say is 'Where's the food?'"  
"I said that *after* I hugged them," Sirius retorted. "Can I help that they chose dinnertime to announce their engagement?"  
"Sorry," said James, not sounding the least bit sorry. "One question, Siri."  
"Which is?" "For some reason I feel like having a stupid great prat as my best man," James sniggered. "D'you think you could fill those requirements?"  
"Anytime," Sirius beamed. "And I'm not a prat."  
"Sometimes you are."  
"I know you are, but what am I?"  
"Don't start that!" Lily said hastily (American comedy was not her forte). "Grace, help me bring in the food, ok?"  
  
The rest of the dinner party was much more relaxed and fun, now that James and Lily had gotten their stressful announcement out of the way. After dinner, James and Sirius brought the others to tears of hysteria as they acted out a wedding with James as himself, Sirius as Lily, and a hat stand as Sirius.  
"That hat stand shows talent," Peter giggled.  
"It does," said James, pretending to be in awe. "It even does a better job than the *real* best man."  
"Hey," said Sirius. "I can make a *good* best man. All I gotta do is stand there for an hour or so, hand you the rings, and not get drunk until *after* the ceremony."  
"A challenge which may prove difficult," Remus teased, earning himself a glare from Sirius which quickly turned into a grin.  
"Y'know, Remmie, it's extremely difficult to stay mad at you."  
  
~August 22 - Sirius' bedroom~  
  
"Love?"  
"Mmm?"  
"Your parents will be home soon."  
"Don't remind me."  
"I think we should tell them," Remus said, sitting up and looking down at Sirius.  
Sirius opened an eye. "Why today? You want to ruin my good mood?"  
"No," Remus said, picking nervously at a corner of the sheet pooled in his lap. "But they have a right to know. All the times we keep saying we're going over to Jim's or Pete's.... I mean, *nobody* goes to Jim's twice in one day, we usually get there once and stay all day.... and how we always run up to your room or mine with barely a hello.... I'm sorry, I'm rambling. But putting it off will only make it worse."  
"I know," sighed Sirius. "But I don't want to."  
"Love, we have to tell them sometime."  
"Soon, soon, I promise," Sirius groaned, sitting up and sliding his long legs out of bed. "Like next week, maybe. Or next month."  
Remus sighed as he got out of bed and began to dress. "All right. Next week - and as soon as possible. No putting it off after this! I'm not going to give in next time!"  
"I promise, Remmie," Sirius said, yawning and pulling on his bellbottoms. "Next week." He gave Remus a look. "And what about *your* parents?"  
Remus suppressed a shudder. His parents were likely to be the worst. Especially his mother.... she had always had a favorite daydream of becoming a grandmother many times over and having three daughters-in-law and a son-in-law.  
"It's more likely she'll get *two* of those," he thought, but managed a smile. "I know, Siri. We'll tell them all the same day. Okay?"  
"Okay," Sirius said, giving him a gentle kiss. "Two birds with one stone and all that, right?"  
"Something along those lines. Even though *we're* the ones likely to be killed."  
  
~August 26 - the Black home~  
  
"Er.... Mum? Dad?"  
Mr. and Mrs. Black looked up to see their son standing in the doorway of the parlor, looking uncharacteristically nervous, with Remus standing behind him and looking paler than they'd ever seen him.  
"What is it, son?" Mr. Black asked. "Is something wrong? Come in here and sit down."  
Very nervous (why nervous, why me? I never get nervous! he thought), Sirius plopped down on the sofa. Remus dropped down beside him, looking like he was on the verge of fainting. Sirius tried to steel himself. His grandmother, his aunt, his sister, and her husband Brad were in the room too. It was already hard enough just to tell his parents without everyone else hanging around....  
"Is something wrong?" Mrs. Black asked, worried. "Baby, are you hurt? Did something happen?"  
Sirius winced mentally at the old pet name, and shook his head. "No, Mum. I, er, I have to, er, tell you something."  
Mr. Black put down his paper and frowned impatiently. "What is it? You're not in trouble again, are you?"  
"Don't be silly, Brendan, they're not in school," Mrs. Black said, then smiled warmly at her son. "What is it, lamb?"  
Sirius fought a groan. This wasn't any easier with his mother treating him like he was still three years old.   
"Well, er, I...... um......."  
"It can't be your Apperation test. You passed." Lyra said.  
"No, it's.... well...."  
"Is this about a girl?" his father asked sharply. "You didn't get her pregnant, did you?"  
"Dad! No!" Sirius said. "But ..... er..." Remus dealt him a swift kick to the ankle, making him wince. He looked at Remus, who gave him a firm glance and a nod.   
"Well, I ..... kinda...... um, I'm, uh.... with someone," Sirius said.  
His father raised an eyebrow. "That's nothing to be afraid of telling us. Who is it?"  
"Well, it's...... um.............. Remus," Sirius said helplessly.  
  
Silence reigned.  
  
"This Remus," Sirius added, looking from his father to his mother and back again (Remus buried his face in his hands). He was very afraid to see that his father's moustache was bristling and an odd purple color was seeping up from under his collar. His mother was pale, but trying to smile. His aunt and Brad looked shocked, and Lyra seemed to be hiding a giggle. His grandmother, however, looked close to tears of joy. She got up, crossed the room, and pulled both her grandson and Remus into a tight hug (now I know where Siri gets it, Remus thought).  
"Dear, are you...... are you serious?" his mother asked.  
"Yes, Mum." Sirius replied softly. "More serious than I've ever been." He snuck another look at his father, who looked torn between shock and fury.   
"But what about that sweet Lily girl?" his mother persisted.  
"She's been going out with Jim for a long time, Mum," Sirius sighed. "I told you. They're engaged."  
His aunt chose that moment to speak up. "Sirius! What are you thinking?"  
Sirius peered over his grandmother's shoulder. "What d'you mean, 'what am I thinking'?"  
"He's - he's - well, a boy," his aunt stammered, and looked at Remus. "Nothing against you, dear... but, I think...... well, you'd be better suited to a young woman..."  
Sirius pulled himself free of his grandmother's embrace. "Auntie, you're only worried about what your bridge club will say," he scowled, taking Remus' hand and pulling him to his feet. "A scandal in the Black family - 'oh, my nephew's shagging one of his best friends, who happens to be another guy.'"  
His mother and his aunt gave identical gasps of surprise.  
"Don't talk to your aunt that way," Mr. Black said, his voice trembling in anger.   
Sirius gave him a rather cool look, but when he spoke, Remus could hear him fighting to control his temper. "Sure thing, Dad."  
"You'd better start showing some respect-" his father started, throwing down his 'Daily Mail' and standing up. "You - wait a minute. Where are you going?"  
Sirius was already at the door, keys in hand. "Where do you think? Remus' house, to tell his parents. And get another *wonderful* reception. Thanks *ever* so much for being supportive."  
  
He slammed the door behind him and walked to his motorcycle, taking such long strides that Remus had to jog to keep up. "Siri," Remus pleaded. "Siri, please, you have to calm down - I know they're not supporting it but - you can't talk to my dad like that, you can't!"  
Sirius paused beside his motorcycle and closed his eyes. "I know. Hold on a minute." He took a few deep, calming breaths. Remus eyed the house, hoping Mr. Black (who stood 6'5" and weighed over two hundred pounds) wouldn't take a notion to march out and collect his son. But nobody came to the door or the windows; Remus supposed they were still in the parlor, frozen with shock.  
"Okay," Sirius said softly. "I'm ready."  
They mounted the bike and took off. Remus tried to take deep breaths and calm himself for what he knew was coming. All in all, he still thought Sirius' family was going to take the news much better than his own.   
  
When they reached the Lupin house, the door opened. Remus gulped - had his parents found out already? Had the Blacks told them? Perhaps traveled by Floo Powder to drag their wayward son home? But his mother was smiling, and she beckoned for them to hurry as they approached her.  
"Remus, darling, hurry, you're brother's home!"  
Remus gulped again. Oh, right. Henri was visiting for a few days. It just figured he'd have to come home on a day like this.  
Resigned to his fate, Remus followed his mother into the kitchen, pulling Sirius along with him. Henri was entertaining his father, Gill, and Serena with a story, but he cut himself off when Remus and Sirius entered.  
"Rem!" he said, getting up, grabbing his younger brother in a headlock, and rumpling his hair playfully. "How are you?"  
"Fine, fine," Remus grumbled, squirming out of his grasp. "Unhand me."  
Henri's glance twitched to Sirius. "H'lo, Fido," he said (get it? Sirius? The Dog Star?).  
"H'lo, minou," Sirius responded. (French for 'little cat'. Retaliation for being called Fido.)  
Henri rolled his eyes and went back to his story as Remus hoisted himself up on the countertop. Sirius leaned against the counter, arms crossed, sighing a little as Henri finished his story and began another.  
  
When Remus' brother stopped for breath, Remus spoke into the silence. He'd better do it now, or they'd never get a chance, with his stupid, self-centered prig of a brother running at the mouth all night and day.  
"Mum? Dad?"  
They all turned to look at him (Henri looking irritated that Remus had interrupted his story).   
"What is it, sweetie?" his mother asked.  
Remus would have groaned if it weren't for the even stupider pet names bestowed upon his boyfriend. "I - well, Sirius and I - need to tell you something..."  
"What is it?" his father asked, peering sternly over the frames of his spectacles. "You're not in school, what can you possibly do now?"  
"Shh, Daddy," said Serena, who was smirking widely. Damn her, Remus thought. She knew very well what was coming.  
"Well, I..." he paused and looked at Sirius, who gave him an equally helpless look.  
Mr. Lupin looked at Sirius as well. "Sirius? What's going on?"  
Sirius heaved a heavy sigh, and pushed his long hair way from his face. "I guess what we're trying to tell you is........ well, we're in love."  
  
No one spoke for almost a minute. Remus cringed, expecting the yelling to start at any moment. But everyone looked too stunned to speak, including Serena. She mustn't've though they'd had the guts to go through with it. Mrs. Lupin's eyes had filled with tears.  
"In love," Mr. Lupin repeated, making them jump. "With each other, you mean."  
"Yes, Dad," Remus said. "I -"  
His father held up a hand to silence him, still looking at Sirius. "Sirius, have you mentioned this to your parents?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"And how did they take it?"  
"They're just as mad and disgusted as you all seem to be," Sirius scowled.  
Mrs. Lupin burst into loud tears. "Remus!" she wailed. "How *could* you? I thought we raised you right -" "Heloise," Mr. Lupin said sharply, and she fell silent. Mr. Lupin turned back to his son, frowning. "How long have you waited to tell us?"  
"A - a - a year," Remus whispered.  
"A year," his father repeated, and closed his eyes. Silence fell once more. When he looked up at last, he said quietly, "I think it would be best if you left now, Sirius."  
Sirius didn't argue or protest. He just nodded meekly, thought about giving Remus a kiss, decided against it, and squeezed his hand instead. Remus gave him a wavery smile in return, and Sirius left.  
  
Mr. Lupin waited until the sound of the motorcycle died away before he spoke again. "Guillaume. Henri. Serena. You are excused. Go to your rooms or something - but if you eavesdrop on this conversation I will make you *very* sorry."  
Remus' siblings retreated, knowing full well that their father meant what he said. Remus slid off the counter and sat weakly in a chair. His father was still looking rather sternly at him, and his mother kept sniffling and wiping her eyes on her apron. Remus wished he was a hundred miles away. Hell, he'd rather even be at Sirius' house right now. Even yelling was better than this cold silence. Yelling would end eventually. The silence would too, but the coldness would stay forever. Even if Remus dumped Sirius straight away (an impossibility), he knew his parents would never see him the same way again.  
"Remus Jean Lupin," his father said. Bad sign. Use of middle names is always a bad sign. "I don't know what kind of trick you're playing at. You can't be serious about this. If this is some sort of -a - a fling, or a - self-exploration thing, I suggest you drop it at once. You know you have to be extremely cautious about who you get involved with."  
"He knows what I am," Remus whispered. "He knows and he still loves me."  
"Sirius may be playing along with you. He's always been that way - I can see it. Stringing along a girl or two here or there -" -so he knew about Serena and Sirius- "-and trying to lure you into it too. See if it's any better that what he's used to. Well, I won't allow it." His father stood and stared piercingly into Remus' eyes.   
"Do you hear me? I forbid you to see him ever again. Don't even mention his name under my roof. Now go to bed."  
  
Remus hurried away, before his father could get any madder. He managed to hold in his tears until he reached his room, then broke down completely. It just wasn't fair! Why wouldn't they listen? Didn't they care? Remus knew he and Sirius would be together forever. Why couldn't his parents just accept it? He wasn't stupid; since he was twelve he had known a werewolf's difficulties of finding and keeping a mate. And his father making Sirius out to be an awful person... Sirius wasn't awful. He was sweet and gentle, loving and devoted. And being separated from Sirius was going to be horrible. The terrified dread he usually felt over his transformations were doubled. All summer long Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail had come to visit him during the full moon; but it was likely to be miserable the next time. His parents were always scared of him during the full moon. They'd lock him in the basement and leave him alone to take out his rage on himself. His mother always took care of him afterwards, cleaning his wounds and trying her best to make him feel better, but the thought gave Remus no comfort. He at least wanted Padfoot by his side.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius opened his front door, mentally steeling himself for the screams that would follow. But none came. Almost the entire house was dark. Only the night lights in the kitchen and at the top of the stairs were on. Sirius trudged up the stairs and down the hall to his own room. As he passed his parents' room, his mother's voice called, "Is that you, Sirius?"  
"Yeah, Mum." he replied, waiting to see if there was more. But his mother didn't say anything else, so he went into his room and closed the door. Not bothering with the light, he undressed and climbed into bed, where he lay on his back, absently fingering the star on his necklace. He closed his eyes. What was Remus going to do? The full moon was less than two weeks away. Knowing what was going to happen to his love made him want to cry. He might have started if there hadn't been a knock on his door.  
"Come in," he grumbled. Even though there wasn't a person in the house whom he wanted to see right now.  
His father opened the door and ducked into the room (the door was just a little to short for him). "Sirius, I want to talk to you."  
"Come to tell me that my feelings are immoral and wrong?" Sirius said bitterly.   
His father's hand twitched as if he was longing to hit his son, but he didn't. Like Sirius, he had a very bad temper which had a terrible habit of slipping its leash sometimes. He'd have to do his best to keep it under control. Instead, he sat down on Sirius' bed and frowned. "Sirius, I can't allow you to see Remus ever again."  
"Why the hell not?" Sirius snarled, sitting up.   
"Because I just talked to Mr. Lupin. We've agreed that you two should not be allowed to see each other. If you're not around him, you'll have time to - well, figure out where you stand. If you're trying to, well, explore your - ahem - sexual tastes, I suggest you stop experimenting with boys. It's not right."  
"I see," Sirius said as his father got up. "I can't be with Remus because you don't want me to be. You're just so worried the neighbors'll find out I like the boys a little better than the girls, right? You can't have a gay son. It'd ruin your reputation."  
This time Mr. Black really did hit his son, a hard smack across the face that left Sirius' cheek blazing red and stinging with pain.  
"Shut your mouth right now," he said furiously. "And if I *ever* see or hear of you and Remus being together ever again, I will make that slap look like a mother's kisses."  
He left, slamming the door behind him. Sirius pulled the blankets over his head and growled.  
"Big man, thrash it out of me when talking doesn't work," he mumbled to himself, and fell into an uneasy sleep.  
  
~September 12 - Remus' bedroom~  
  
The full moon had been nearly a week ago, and Remus was still in bed, recovering. Neither of his parents dared to try their menial healing powers on him, so he was forced to lie still in bed and endure the horrid itching of his slowly healing wounds. He couldn't scratch through the layers of bandages, and it drove him mad. But the itching was good - as long as he took up all his time thinking of a way to alleviate it, he didn't have to dwell on other things.  
Sirius, for one. Their separation was terrible. Remus went through pain as he'd never experienced before, either physical or mental. He knew it was the wolf in him longing for its mate. He cried himself to sleep every night; oh, how he longed to get up and go to Sirius, and damn the consequences. Anything to stop the pain and misery that shrouded his heart.  
  
~Sirius' Journal - September 30~  
  
-I can't stand it anymore. God, I miss Remmie so much. It just hurts constantly, and I can't make it stop. Dad won't even let me go see Jim or Pete, just in case I'm sneaking away for a secret tryst with Remmie. They have to come visit *me*. I wish I had parents like Jim's. They've known about me and Remmie for a *long* time - Jim told them, I expect - and they're just wonderful. His mum even went as far as to proclaim us 'cute', but we got her to stop calling us that. It was a little embarrassing.  
God, I miss Remmie. If I could just *see* him, talk to him... never mind making love. I'd just be content to hold him forever. I read up on werewolves last year. Says they experience terrible pain - headaches and such - when they're separated from their mate for long. I hope that's not true. I don't want to think of my Remmie going through that.  
I've got to do it. Soon. Sneak out and get my Moony.  
If only we could just get away.....-  
  
~October 4 - the Black home~  
  
"Sirius, we're leaving now," Mrs. Black called.  
"M'kay," Sirius mumbled, not looking up from the 'Daily Prophet'. He had been avoiding speaking to his parents ever since breaking the news about his and Remus' relationship. When he couldn't *not* answer them, he replied only in grunts, nods, and one-word answers.  
His father came into the room. "Did you hear your mother?"  
"I heard. Not going."  
"Yes, you are." His father crossed the room and yanked the Prophet out of his hands. "Look at you," he said in disgust. "Hair not combed, still in your pajamas. It's four o'clock in the bloody afternoon!"  
"So?"  
"You're not going to the Posts' looking like that," his father growled through gritted teeth.  
"I know. Not going anyway."  
"Yes - you - *are*," his father said, grabbing him by the shoulder and yanking him to his feet. "Get upstairs. I'm giving you five minutes to get dressed and do something about that hair."  
Sirius trudged upstairs as slowly as he possibly could, then flopped down on his bed. He waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty.  
"SIRIUS BLACK!" his father roared from downstairs. "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"  
"NOT GOING!" Sirius shouted back.  
Thunderous footfalls sounded on the stairs as his father approached. The door swung open and hit the wall so hard it sent Sirius' framed poster of the Beatles tumbling to the floor. Mr. Black stood looking down at his son, his face turning brick red. "Get going *now*," he said. "If I have to dress you myself I *WILL*."  
"No you wouldn't," Sirius smirked. "Be afraid I'd kiss you or something."  
"Don't you *ever* talk to me like that ever again," Mr. Black whispered, his thick Irish brogue getting deeper as his anger increased. "I am your *father*, laddie. You'll deserve a whipping if I don't start getting some respect. Now get dressed."  
He left, slamming the door behind him. Sirius knew not to push his father any further. Grumbling, he hung the Beatles back up and rummaged in his drawers for a clean t-shirt and jeans. He knew very well that his parents were making him come to the Posts' with them because they wanted him to date the Posts' daughter, Emily. As an attempt to make him forget Remus, he expected. Forget Remus? He fingered the charm on his necklace and shook his head. Never happen. With a sigh, he dragged a comb through his hair, considered putting it in a ponytail, and decided against it. If his dad was in such an all-fired hurry to get moving, he wouldn't hold them up. The Posts would just have to deal with a long-haired kid today.  
He pulled on his boots and thumped downstairs, going as slowly as possible. His parents were waiting for him in the hall, looking impatient.  
"You're wearing *that*?" his father asked sharply, taking stock of Sirius' tight black t-shirt and even tighter bellbottom jeans.  
"What's wrong with it?" Sirius sighed.  
"You look like a damn hippie. Get upstairs and put on some good trousers and a tie."  
"No thanks," Sirius snapped. "I think I'll stay home."  
"We've already decided you're going," his father reminded him.  
"Please, lamb, just get dressed up nice," his mother pleaded.   
"No, I'm not going," Sirius said stubbornly, sitting down on the stairs and giving them a defiant look. "I don't want to. You're just going to try and hook me up with Emily."  
"What is wrong with Emily?" Mr. Black asked.  
"She's such a sweet girl," Mrs. Black said.  
"Remus is sweet."  
"I told you never to mention him again," his father said.  
"Shit on that. I love Remus. I'm not going anywhere."  
"Fine," his father snarled. "You just stay here then. Cry over your damn sissy boyfriend. I don't give a damn about either of you. But perhaps you should do some thinking while you're here. Think about whether you value your family or some sissy crybaby more. Leyna! Let's go." He slammed the door behind him hard enough to shake the house. There was another crash upstairs as the Beatles took another dive.  
  
Sirius watched his parents leave from the living room window. He felt tears stinging at his eyelids and growled softly to himself. Crying was no good, so he shouldn't even start.   
Still, the tears threatened, and Sirius gave a quick, impatient shake of his head. Enough of this. He'd go in the kitchen and get a cup of tea. Yes, good idea.   
As he passed his grandmother's room, she called, "Sirius, is that you? Come in here."  
"Hi, Gram," Sirius said bleakly, going into her room and looking at his grandmother, who was sitting in her rocking chair with a book on her lap. "D'you want some tea too?"  
She didn't answer for a while, just looked calmly at him, a tall, tanned teenage boy with long dark hair and tears in his eyes. She could see he was fighting not to cry, to be a man. But better to let him cry. Tears like this needed to be shed. So she said quietly, "It's your friend, isn't it? The one you're in love with?"  
He nodded, and she set her book aside and held her arms out to him. And Sirius did what he hadn't done since he was five years old - allowed himself to be folded into his grandmother's embrace and cried long and hard on her shoulder. She leaned forward and rocked him as best she could (he wasn't a tiny boy anymore; he was much to big to sit in her lap), stroked his long hair, and soothed him.   
After awhile the tears subsided and he rested his cheek against her knee, sniffling. Delphinus reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out her handkerchief, which she handed to Sirius.  
"Thanks, Gram," he sniffled, taking it and mopping off his tearstained cheeks.  
She finger-combed his hair back and began to braid it. "You really do love your Remus, don't you?"  
"More than anything," Sirius said hoarsely. "I'd die for him if I had to, Gram."  
"I know you would," she said softly, finishing the braid and tying it with a piece of yarn. "And he would do the same for you."  
"It's more than that," Sirius whispered. "They *can't* keep us separated, Gram. We're... we're together for life."  
Delphinus carefully tilted her grandson's head to the side, so the light fell on the left side of his neck. It sparkled on his earring and highlighted what she expected to see - a small mark, in the shape of a crescent moon. She kissed her finger and touched the mark gently. "He's a werewolf, and he's marked you as his mate."  
"Don't tell Mum and Dad," Sirius said, panicking. "Please, Gram - if they knew about - that - that Remus is a werewolf..."  
"Shh, darling," she said to him. "It's all right. I won't tell them. And your Remus is a very sweet young man. Your parents will come to their senses eventually."  
"No, they won't," Sirius said bitterly. "Remember how they never left Lyra alone over that Jack guy?"  
Jack had been a very sweet, kind man Lyra had met just after she graduated from Hogwarts. He was a true gentleman, and even Sirius, who tended to get a little suspicious of all his sister's dates, liked him. But since Jack was divorced, Mr. and Mrs. Black had immediately come to the worst conclusions about him, and forbidden their daughter to see him. Poor Lyra had been hounded day after day, and there had been more than one argument that drove Sirius to his room with a pillow over his head. Finally, Lyra, who was sick of the whole mess, had broken up with Jack. Later Jack moved to America, and they hadn't heard anything from or about him since.  
"Yes, love, I do," his grandmother murmured. "But you're not like Lyra. I know you won't give in. And the magic is impenetrable. Your Remus is your mate for life, and you have to be together. There's nothing your parents can do to reverse that."  
"I know," Sirius sniffed. "But I can't make them see that. God knows when I'll ever get to see Remmie ever again..."  
"His parents are gone," his grandmother remarked, not looking at him, but out the window instead. "He's home alone; everyone else is gone."  
Sirius stared at her. "Gram, what-?"  
She put a finger to her lips. "Hurry," she whispered. "Go to him now. Your parents won't be home for a while - and if they come home early I'll cover for you."  
Sirius stood. "Thanks, Gram," he whispered, and kissed her cheek before Apperating from the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Remus was lying on his bed, reading, when a small *pop* noise made him jump. He looked around, wondering what it was. It was Sirius, peeking at him from under his hair with a shy smile. Remus noticed his eyes looked rather red.  
"Siri-love? How - I didn't hear the bike..."  
"If my parents found my bike gone they'd kill me. I Apperated."  
"But what are you doing here? If my parents come back and you're still here -"  
"I don't give a damn," Sirius said, coming in and closing the door behind him. "Remmie, I'm sick and tired of all this. We can't let our parents run our lives *for* us -" he sighed. "I just had a talk with my gram, and she made me realize something. We're letting our parents push us around, and if they have their way we'll never see each other again." He sat on the bed and took Remus' hand. "I don't want that to happen," he said softly. He was crying again. "Remmie, it *hurts*, being away from you for long. Hell, I miss you even if I haven't seen you in two hours. And if our parents have problems with it, to hell with them. I love you and I'm not leaving you."  
Remus was crying by now as well. He sat up and pulled Sirius into a hug, and they rocked back and forth for a little while, sniffling. Then Remus looked up at Sirius. "You're right. We're being stupid. What should we do, then?"  
"Well, the only thing we can do... get jobs, save up money... get ourselves a flat and move out. If we're away from them, they can't bother us as much. We'll just tell them we've got money and a place to live, we're leaving, and there's nothing they can do about it."  
"All right," Remus whispered. They were silent for a little longer, then Sirius spoke up timidly.  
"Remmie?"  
"Mmm?"  
"I reckon we've got an hour or so before our parents get back. Want to.. I dunno, go out to eat or something?"  
"Anyplace but Diagon Alley," Remus said, wiping his eyes. "That's where my parents went shopping."  
"Okay," Sirius agreed. "And I know where to go to avoid my parents seeing us by accident."  
"I'm afraid to ask."  
"Don't be," Sirius laughed, going into the bathroom and splashing his face with cold water. "I'm really taking you out to dinner. No sex clubs, I promise. I've never even set foot in one, you know."  
"You'd better not," Remus scowled, changing into a better shirt and combing his hair. "Just how will we get to this fabulous no-sex club?"  
"Walk."  
"It's that close?"  
"It's only fifteen minutes away. You don't want to walk with me for fifteen minutes?"  
"Of course I do!" Remus said, offended. "You doubt it?"  
"No," Sirius said, smiling softly. Remus could have melted at that smile. He had missed it so much...  
"Okay, lead the way," he said, taking Sirius by the arm.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
They had a lovely walk to the restaurant, walking hand-in-hand and so close their shoulders touched and their hips brushed. It was nice, Remus thought happily. He had missed Sirius so much.  
"Here we are," Sirius said, coming to a halt in front of a black-brick building. A sparkly silver sign over the door read 'Chronos'. "See? It's got a pub downstairs."  
Remus looked skeptically at the building, then at Sirius. "Love, are you *sure* this isn't a sex club? It sure *looks* like one."  
"It isn't, and how would you know?"  
"Oh, shut up," Remus giggled. "All right, I give in. Besides, I'm hungry. I sure hope you brought some Muggle money - I don't have any."  
"Don't worry about it," Sirius said cheerfully, patting his front pocket. "I've got enough for dinner."  
The hostess looked up as they entered, smiling brightly. She was a tall, slim woman, with deeply tanned skin and amazingly long forest-green hair, dressed in a dark red sweater and black tights. Her eyes interested Remus. They were a deep purply-red color which he had never seen before.  
"Sirius!" she said. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"  
"Very well, thanks," Sirius said with a grin. "How's by you, Setsuna?"  
"Very good," she replied, and turned her garnet eyes on Remus. "And who is this?"  
"This is my boyfriend," Sirius said proudly. "Remus Lupin. Remmie, this is Setsuna Meiou. She runs this place."  
"H'lo," Remus said, shaking her hand.   
"H'lo," Setsuna said, then stepped back and tilted her head to the side. Her dark eyes surveyed Remus carefully. "Mmm. You have good taste, Sirius. He's cute."  
Remus blushed as Sirius laughed and kissed his temple. "Yeah, I think so too."  
Setsuna smiled. "A dinner date?"  
"Precisely," Sirius said. "Got a table for an old friend?"  
"Indeed I do," Setsuna replied, plucking a couple of menus from a pile beside her. "And since I'm so nice, I'll even bring you to your table myself."  
She led them to a small, cozy corner table, handed them their menus, and kissed them both on the cheek before departing. Remus gave his lover a curious glance. "How d'you and Miss Meiou know each other?"  
"Oh, don't be so suspicious, Remmie-chan," Sirius said, grinning. "She knows me and Jim pretty well, since we usually had to roust Jim's cousins out of the pub after particularly good football games. Or Quidditch games, for that matter."  
"Then she's -?"  
"Yeah, she's a witch. But shh - she serves a fair amount of Muggles in this place as well."  
Remus nodded and opened his menu. Mmm. Caesar salad with cold chicken and grated egg on top. Baked cod. Spaghetti with garlic bread. Mmm, how to choose? It all sounded so good.  
"Nothing with eggplant," Sirius said.  
"I beg your pardon?" Remus asked.  
"'Suna really hates eggplant. She won't even serve it here."  
"Oh. Well, I don't mind it."  
"You know what I always wondered?"  
"No, what?"  
"Why do they call it eggplant? It doesn't even look like an egg."  
"You know, I've always wondered that too..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Their dinner was superb (Remus had gotten the baked cod, while Sirius had gone for an Italian chicken sandwich). Sirius paid the tab and they left, bidding Setsuna good-bye.  
"Oh, 'Suna," Sirius said, pausing at the door. "If my parents happen to ask around....."  
"I haven't seen you since last summer, and I don't know a Remus Lupin," Setsuna said, shaking her head with a smile.  
"Thank you, dear."  
They walked back to the Lupin home, not casually now, but hurrying. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin would be home soon. Remus was relieved to see the house was empty as he and Sirius approached. They ducked inside before the neighbors could see them together.  
"Thank you for the lovely night, Siri," Remus said shyly. "I had a wonderful time."  
"You're more than welcome," Sirius murmured, kissing his forehead. "And I meant what I said, Remmie. Our best bet is to get away."  
"I know," Remus said. "Don't worry about it. I can get a job in Flourish and Blotts' - Mr. Perkins has asked me many times."  
"Just the place for you, a bookstore," Sirius smiled. "And I'll work for Dad. Believe it or not. He'll be thrilled..... maybe."  
"Why wouldn't he be?"  
"He's not too happy with me right now. But you know how he is - engineering is important to him. I'll just ask him if I can work as a stockboy or something."  
Remus wrinkled his nose. Sirius noticed the look and laughed. "I know, love. Not the ideal job. I'll live." He kissed Remus again. "I'd better go. My parents ought to be home soon too."  
"All right," Remus said reluctantly.   
"Just tell me the next time your parents'll be gone."  
"Okay," Remus whispered, hugging Sirius tightly. "I love you."  
"Love you too." Sirius replied, then kissed Remus again before Disapperating.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
His parents still weren't back when he got home. Sirius went into the kitchen and found his grandmother already there, pouring some tea.  
"Hi, Gram," Sirius said, kissing her cheek. "How did you know I was home? And that I wanted tea?"  
His grandmother shrugged. "I just got a feeling. Did you and your Remus have a nice time?"  
"Yeah," Sirius said, smiling as they sat down. "I took him out to eat."  
"Chronos?"  
"Yes." Sirius looked at his grandmother, astounded. "Gram, sometimes I think you know too much."  
Delphinus smiled. "How is he?"  
"Good - well, as long as I'm with him. Did you know, werewolves experience both physical and mental pain when separated from their mate for very long?"  
"Yes. I knew." She looked up and her grandson. "What are you going to do?"  
"I want to move out," Sirius confessed. "I want to take Remmie and run away. But we don't have the money. Or a place to stay."  
"You'd be surprised-" she cut herself off with a string of loud coughs. "Excuse me. I meant to say, you'd be surprised what a few months' difference can make."  
"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.  
His grandmother shook her head as a car pulled into the driveway outside. "Never mind. Your parents are home. Just... be patient, okay?"  
"All right, Sirius said softly.  
  
~October 14 - Remus' bedroom~  
  
The phone call couldn't have come at a worse time.  
  
The phones in the house had been installed for looks (when the Lupins' Muggle friends visited), and just in case anyone needed to call home quickly. The phone beside Remus' bed was a stubborn thing. It just kept ringing.  
  
Sirius and Remus looked at each other, then at the phone.  
"Shit." Sirius grumbled. "Don't answer it."  
"I have to, it might be my mum," Remus said unhappily. "Hold on a minute."  
"If I *can*."  
"Shh!"  
Remus leaned over and picked up the phone. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mum. What? No, I'm sorry, I was out in the yard."   
Sirius snorted and Remus glared down at him. "What? No, that wasn't anything," he said to his mother, wishing mentally that she'd hurry up. He was dying here. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Yes, I'll do it." Come *on*, Mum, he thought. Sirius closed his eyes and sighed impatiently.  
"Yes..... no, Sere's off at her friend Bunny's."  
Sirius raised a hand to his mouth and bit it to stifle his moans. This was getting ridiculous.  
"*Okay*, Mum. Yes. Yes. I'll see you in a bit, then." Remus stretched out his arm and hung up the phone, then sighed gratefully. "Phew."  
Sirius took his hand out of his mouth and groaned. He looked up rather pleadingly at Remus. "No more interruptions?"  
"I hope not."  
"Do we have time?"  
"Maybe. Mum's home in fifteen minutes."  
"Shouldn't take that long. We're guys. Go ahead, finish what you started."  
  
And Remus did, very satisfactorily for both of them.  
  
~November 11 - Flourish and Blotts'~  
  
"Hey, Remmie!"  
Remus turned from shelving books to see James and Lily walking into the shop, and he grinned at them. "Look who it is! England's most promising couple. How are you?"  
"Very good," James said as Lily kissed Remus' cheek, but then he dropped his jolly manner. "Hey, is it true? That your parents aren't letting you and Siri see each other?"  
"Jim," said Lily sternly. "We shouldn't be taking up Remus' time-"  
"Oh, don't worry about it, Lil," Remus said, slipping the last copy of 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' into its place. "All done." He checked his watch. "And right now's the beginning of my lunch break."  
"Cool," said James, his smile returning. "Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, okay?"  
"Sure," said Remus. "Just a second." He went into the back room and snagged his coat, then paused at the door of Mr. Perkins' office. "Mr. Perkins? I'm going to lunch now."  
"All right, Remus," Mr. Perkins said, looking up from his account books with a smile. "I'll see you in a bit, then."  
Remus waved and joined James and Lily, who were waiting for him at the door. They made their way through the crowded street and into the Leaky Cauldron. After ordering beef stew from the innkeeper, Tom, they sat down at an empty table to talk. Remus told them about the reception his parents had given the news. James shook his head.  
"That sucks," he grumbled, spearing a bit of potato with his fork. "And now they won't let you see each other?"  
"Yeah," said Remus, then smiled. "But you know Siri. He does everything he can to bend the rules."  
Lily giggled. "Yes, that's right. What are you going to do, though?"  
Remus shrugged, poking at his stew. "The only thing we can do, I guess. We're saving up money to get ourselves a flat. We'll just move out and our parents will have to accept it."  
"Do you think that'll work?" Lily asked, her brilliant green eyes anxious. "What about school? I thought you were going to be a teacher."  
Remus shrugged. "I dunno. That'll have to wait for now. I'm just hoping getting away from our parents'll ease the pressure a little bit, you know?"  
"You're probably right, Remmie, you usually are," James said. "And they've got to come to their sense sometime, am I right?"  
"I hope so," Remus sighed. "Hey. Have you heard anything from Pete lately?"  
"It's funny," Lily said, stirring her stew around. "We've been seeing him less and less lately. I see Grace a lot, though - you know, we both work at Miss Kaiou's together - and she says he's been acting weird lately." She shrugged and flipped her copper hair back. "But then, Pete's always been a little weird."  
"Agreed," said Remus, checking his watch. "Ugh. I'd better go. My time's almost up."  
"Okay," James said, and they all stood up together and hugged goodbye.   
"Take care, Remmie," Lily said.  
"It'll turn out okay," James said encouragingly.  
Remus smiled. "It just might, Jim. See you."  
  
~Sirius' Journal - November 21~  
  
-I'm worried about Gram. She hasn't been feeling to well lately, she says. She looks like she's feeling horrible. Mum says it's just a cold. Maybe so, but Gram *is* almost ninety. Colds aren't that easy to deal with when you're that old, you know? I told Remus about it. He said it'd be okay, but I dunno. What would I do without Gram? She's been so sweet about this whole thing with me and Remmie. I'm sure she'd help us convince our parents to let us live together. It might not be that hard to do, actually. Dad's been pretty mellow lately. I think it's 'cos I'm working for him. He seems to think hauling freight all day keeps my mind off Remmie. It's true I'm usually thinking about the stuff I have to do at work every day, but Remmie's not far from my mind, I can tell you. I just don't say anything about him out loud.   
Dad and Mum set me up with a few girls but I didn't do or say anything to encourage them. I think they got bored of me fast. Not that I care. I just want to be with Remmie....... soon...... We'll run away together.-  
  
~December 11~  
  
-Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Evans request the honor of your presence   
At the marriage of their daughter, Lily Rose Evans, to James William Potter,   
On the Seventeenth of June 1983, at St. John's cathedral in London.   
R.S.V.P. before March twentieth, 1983-  
  
~January 2 - Remus' bedroom~  
  
"Oh, Siri...."  
"Shh, love."  
"But...."  
"Your parents won't be home until late, you said. It'll be okay."  
"Oh, but Siri, what if they come home early?"  
"Well. We'll just have to take that chance, won't we?"  
Remus giggled. "You're so bad sometimes. Do you know that?"  
"I thought you liked it when I was bad," Sirius smiled at him, snuggling close.  
Remus blushed. "Oh, stop it!"  
"All right. I won't tease anymore.... if you give me what I want."  
"You win. But it's more like a tie. I want it too."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Around one in the morning, after she and her husband arrived home, Heloise Lupin pushed open her son's bedroom door, wanting to say good night. "Remus, we're -" She stopped at once, and paled at the sight which met her eyes.  
Remus was sprawled out on his bed, fast asleep, dressed only in pajama bottoms. And sleeping beside him, his arms wrapped around her son (and wearing the tightest jeans she had ever seen), was that awful Sirius Black.  
It didn't take her long to realize what had happened. They might have still been half-dressed, but Mrs. Lupin was not stupid. Their mussed appearances, not to mention the rumpled bedclothes and the clothes tossed into an untidy pile on the floor... what looked like their shirts, a leather jacket, and... oh, my......... she paled.  
Her husband slipped an arm around her. "Is he asleep?" he asked, but then he saw what she was looking at, and felt his anger beginning to rise.  
Remus stirred and opened his eyes. He looked around and froze when he saw his parents standing in the doorway, his mother looking faint, his father looking enraged. "Mum! Dad!" he gasped, sitting up too quickly and knocking Sirius in the forehead with his elbow.  
"Dammit!" Sirius grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. "Remmie! What the -" he stopped, noticing Remus' parents standing there for the first time, and gulped.  
Mr. Lupin took two long strides over to his son's bed, and grabbed Remus by the shoulder. "What - in - BLAZES - D'YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"  
"Dad, let me explain," Remus begged, and cried out as his father gripped his shoulder harder, hurting him.  
"For goodness sakes, Devereaux, don't hurt him!" Mrs. Lupin shrieked, seeing her husband raise his hand. He brought it down quick and hard - just *hit* this damn kid, teach him some respect -  
But he didn't hit Remus. Sirius had caught him by the wrist, and was now glaring at him, his eyes icy with hate.  
"You bastard," Sirius snarled. "Hitting your own kid - what gives you that right?"  
"Shut up," Mr. Lupin hissed back. "What gives you the right to break into *my* home while I'm gone and - and - and take *advantage* of my own son?!"  
Sirius dropped his wrist in disgust, pulled back his hair, and turned his head sharply, so they could all see the mark on his neck. "Goddamn it, are you *blind*? Don't you *see* that? Do you know what it means?"  
Mrs. Lupin gasped, realizing the truth, and sunk weakly into a chair, her hands over her mouth. But her husband was unmoved. "I know very well what it means," Mr. Lupin growled. "And it doesn't mean a thing. Not to me, anyway." He turned his glare on Remus. "I told you to stay away from him."  
"Dad, it's not that easy," Remus said desperately. "We can't be separated - the magic's irreversible - we're mated for life and -"  
He was cut off by his mother's shriek of anguish, and noticed the angry glare in his father's eyes.   
"And how exactly did he get you to claim him?" he whispered, his voice trembling with rage. He looked up at Sirius through narrowed eyes. "Got you drunk, I expect. Or on drugs - worthless punk, you drugged him, didn't you?!" he shouted, this last directed at Sirius.   
It happened so fast even Sirius didn't know how it happened - one minute he was fighting to control his temper, and the next, Mr. Lupin was pinned to the wall, Sirius' hand at his throat.  
"Shut up," Sirius growled, thumping Remus' father against the wall. "Just shut up. If you *must* know - though it's none of your business - I left everything up to Remus. I let him decide if he was ready for sex - and I didn't pressure him at all. And I most certainly did *NOT* drug him or get him drunk."  
"Siri, put him down," Remus begged, tugging at his lover's arm. "Please, don't hurt him!"  
Sirius let go of Mr. Lupin's collar, letting him sink to the ground, where he slumped, coughing. Remus and his mother knelt beside him as Sirius looked down at him, hatred clearly etched on his face. Remus was afraid of him at that minute. He loved Sirius, loved him dearly, but Sirius' seemingly uncontrollable temper frightened him badly.   
Mr. Lupin coughed again, weakly, then looked up at Sirius. Remus could see fury in his eyes, but fear was also present in his gaze. He was beginning to realize that Sirius was stronger and fiercer than he looked - capable of murder, if the circumstances were right - and very protective of Remus.  
  
"Sirius!"  
They all turned at the sound of that voice, which seemed to be coming from outside. Sirius strode to the window facing the street and pushed it open. As he turned, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin could see long, jagged scars running down his otherwise lovely back, and they looked at Remus, who hung his head and nodded slowly, answering their unasked question.  
Sirius leaned out the window to see Lyra, looking scared and pale, standing below. "What?"  
"It's Gram," Lyra called, her voice trembling. "Oh, Siri...her cold's worse.... she's going to die..."  
"But she was fine when I left," Sirius said, as Remus joined him at the window.  
"It got worse really suddenly," Lyra said, a desperate note in her voice. "She wants to see you... Mum and Dad are with her now - please come home!"  
"I'll be right there," Sirius said, and ducked back into Remus' room and began pulling on his boots, not bothering with socks, ignoring Mr. and Mrs. Lupin as they stared at him with wide eyes.  
"Love, what's going on?" Remus asked as Sirius zipped up his leather jacket and gathered up the rest of his clothes quickly.  
"Gram's dying," he said softly, before giving Remus a kiss and dashing from the room.  
  
Remus paused for a second, staring into the darkened hallway, then made up his mind. As quick as he could, he put on his shoes and a shirt, and headed for the door.  
"Where are you going?" his father croaked, trying to get to his feet.  
"I have to be with him," Remus said, and ran down the stairs and out onto the porch.  
Sirius was just mounting the motorcycle. "Love, wait!" Remus called, panicking, and rushed to join him. He swung himself up onto the bike without thinking about it, and Sirius turned to look at him.  
"What about -"  
"I don't care, they're fine," Remus said. "Let's go!"  
Sirius started up the bike, and they shot down the road like something shot from a cannon. Remus clung to his lover and prayed they'd get there in time, that he hadn't held Sirius up just a moment too long, forgetting to be afraid as Sirius urged the bike on faster.  
They reached the Black house so fast they could have set a world record; Sirius had barely turned the bike off before he ran into the house, Remus following.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Maybe we're wrong," Mrs. Lupin said timidly to her husband, as they stood listening to the sound of the motorcycle fading away. "Maybe Sirius really does care for Remus."  
"As much as I hate to admit it, I think he does," Mr. Lupin muttered. "And Remus really does love him, if he's claimed Sirius as his mate."  
"He goes through so much pain already," Mrs. Lupin said. "We're only causing him more by keeping them apart."  
"You just figured that out?" a voice asked, and they turned to see Gill standing in the doorway, looking at them over the frames of his rose-tinted shades. "I'm sorry, Mum, Dad, but that's dense of you."  
"But we can't admit we're wrong -" Mr. Lupin started.  
"Why the hell not?" Gill demanded. "Just why not? Rem's got enough problems. What he really needs is someone who can comfort him in a way you guys can't. And I don't mean sex," he said hastily, seeing their expressions. "Just someone who makes him feel like he's worth something.... someone who sees him as beautiful even when... you know."  
"You're right," Mrs. Lupin said helplessly. She turned to her husband. "Devereaux, what will we do?"  
"If his grandmother really is dying, the Blacks are going to go through a hard time, and I don't want to disturb them." said Mr. Lupin slowly, running his fingers through his hair. "As soon as things calm down a bit, I'm going to see if we can't meet with Brendan and Leyna Black and talk about this."  
"Thank you," Gill sighed, relieved. "It's about time, Dad."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius skidded to a halt in the doorway of his grandmother's room; she was lying in her bed, looking pale and trembly, with Sirius' parents, aunt, sister, and brother-in-law gathered around her. He went over and knelt beside her, taking her hands, which were very cold. "Don't die, Gram!"  
She turned her head to look at him. "It's my time, dear. Remember what I told you when you were little? After your grandfather died?"  
"Even stars burn out sometime," Sirius whispered. "No, Gram, no. You'll be okay - we'll get help -"  
He looked up at his mother, a desperate look in his eyes. "Mum, do something -"  
"We've already sent for the doctor," Mrs. Black said softly. "There's not much else we can do."  
Delphinus raised her head and looked at Remus, who was standing just inside the doorway. "Come here, Remus."  
Remus came forward obediently; she gave him a rather stern look and said, "You take good care of my grandson. If you don't, I'll come back and haunt you. Do you promise?"  
"I promise," Remus whispered.  
"And take care of your Remus, darling," she said to Sirius. "Protect him and keep him safe. And the rest of you -" -she seemed to be mainly addressing Mr. and Mrs. Black- "- you leave them be. They're in love; the magic is impenetrable. Leave them be."  
She closed her eyes. "I love you all," she said softly, and was still.  
  
It was completely silent for almost a full minute; then Sirius began to cry softly. Remus held him close and stroked his hair, letting him cry on his shoulder. Mrs. Black and Lyra were clinging to each other, beginning to sniffle as Brad looked on; Sirius' father was looking out the window and occasionally giving a long sniff, his arm around Sirius' aunt, who was sobbing into a handful of tissues.   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius was still being held by Remus, sniffling, when the doctor left. By now the family was in the living room, all rather red-eyed. Mr. Black came over to where Sirius and Remus sat. Remus looked up, fearful, but Mr. Black put a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Remus, I appreciate that you want to stay with Sirius. But if you don't mind... we have a few - things to sort out."  
"Yes, sir," Remus said softly, and kissed Sirius' cheek. "Don't cry, love. I'll be back."  
He Disapperated. Mr. Black sat down beside Sirius.   
"You've been seeing him, haven't you?"  
"Yes," Sirius sniffed. "So what?"  
His father regarded him quietly for a moment, not speaking. Sirius stood up, wanting to go to his room. But then his father spoke again.  
"Why?"  
"Because I love him," Sirius whispered. He turned to face his family. "I don't care if you all think I'm weird or something. I don't care if you don't like me anymore. But I really do love him. And I'm his. Forever." He carefully brushed his hair aside and turned his head. "Do you see?" he asked softly.   
His mother crossed the room and looked carefully at his neck, then gasped.  
"Oh, Sirius.... if you had told us before..."  
"You didn't let me," Sirius said as his father joined them. He peered down at Sirius' neck.  
"What's that?" he asked curiously, noting the moon-shaped mark.   
"Dad, Remus is a werewolf," Sirius said.  
"He is?" Mr. Black asked. This was news. Nearly forty years of marriage to a witch had prepared him for all kinds of unexpected things. Finding out his son's boyfriend was a werewolf wasn't that surprising; there were worse things, he supposed. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
"That mark means he's claimed me as his mate for life," Sirius said. "That's what Gram was talking about. The magic can't be reversed. Do you know what happens to Remmie when we're apart?"  
Everyone shook their heads (except Brad, who looked terrified. So what. He was a scaredy-cat).  
"He gets headaches. Worse, migraines. And it's not just his head. I looked it up... werewolves, like real wolves, claim and keep only one mate forever. And being away from them for long - days at a time, I mean, not like just a few hours at work - they go into... I don't know, some kind of state.... they're in tremendous pain all the time. Headaches, body aches, you name it." He looked up at his father. "And that's what my Remmie is going through. That's why I need to be with him. I never want him to be hurting. I want him to be happy, and he can't be without me." He shook his head. "I'm going to bed."  
  
He left the room. Brendan and Leyna exchanged looks. Sirius had given them a lot to think about - could they be wrong? One thing was sure - they'd have to talk with the Lupins soon.  
  
~January 5 - the graveyard~  
  
The Blacks and the Lupins watched Remus and Sirius standing at Delphinus' grave, holding hands. Sirius was holding back tears with all his might, and Remus was talking to him softly. James, Lily, Grace, and Peter hurried up to them and helped Remus comfort Sirius. For the first time, the four adults realized how perfectly their sons fit together; watching Remus gently pull Sirius into his arms and how Sirius leaned against his lover and finally let the tears fall.   
"We're being stupid," Heloise murmured. "Look at them."  
Brendan nodded. "We have been stupid. If we allowed them to start seeing each other again-"  
"Without sneaking around," Devereaux said, smiling slightly.  
"-They'd be happier." Brendan approached Sirius and his friends, all of whom looked at him nervously (but none as nervously as Remus). "Sirius. Remus."  
"Yeah, Dad?" Sirius sniffed, taking the tissue Lily offered him.   
"Yes, sir?" Remus asked fearfully.  
"You really do love each other, don't you?"  
"That's what we've been telling you," Sirius mumbled.  
"You're sure?" Devereaux asked them.   
"Absolutely, Dad," Remus whispered.  
  
"All right then," Brendan said softly. "Then we take back what we said. You can - er - see each other again."  
This was unexpected. The six teenagers exchanged amazed looks.  
"What? Really?" James asked.  
"Really," Heloise said. "As long as you understand that there are some people who... won't take to your relationship..."  
"I've known that for a while," Sirius muttered, but Remus frowned at him and squeezed his arm gently, shutting him up. The adults looked amused. Taking courage from this, Sirius spoke up hopefully. "Is it okay if Remus sleeps over tonight?"  
"If he sleeps in the guest room," Sirius' father said, and smiled at the look on his son's face.  
  
~February 3 - the Lupin home~  
  
Life after that improved greatly for Sirius and Remus. Things were not perfect, not by a long shot, but finally having their parents' blessing made things a hell of a lot easier. And not having to sneak around made it easier on Remus' poor trouble-hating stomach. Yes, Sirius was still upset over his grandmother's death, and there were a few people who were weirded out over their relationship - Brad was one, Henri another, and Remus was sure none of his relatives in France would take to the idea. But he really didn't care. He had Sirius back and was happy for the first time in a long time.   
  
He was sitting at the kitchen table that morning, still in his pajamas, reading the 'Daily Prophet' and trying to eat the porridge without tasting it. Just as his mother got up to pour more coffee, the doorbell rang. She went to answer it, and soon returned with Sirius, who looked quite pale and stary-eyed and not quite all there.  
'Sirius? Is there something wrong?" Mr. Lupin asked curiously.  
"Saw yourself in the mirror, didn't you, Fido?" Henri sniggered.  
"Shut up, minou," Sirius said absently, shaking his head to clear it and running a hand through his hair. "It's... well..."  
"What is it, love?" Remus asked, happy for a diversion from his porridge.  
"Well, last night my parents went to see a lawyer who read them my gram's will," said Sirius, still looking dazed.  
"Well, what did you get?" Gill asked.   
"My parents and my aunt got... like books, trinkets, clothes, that sort of thing," Sirius answered. "And my sis and her husband got Gram's vacation house in Majorca. But.... Remmie.... I ... I got..."  
"Don't hold us in suspense!" said Serena irritably. "What did you get?"  
Sirius looked almost fearful. "I got.... her house. And all her money."  
"Her *house*?" Henri asked, at the same time Mrs. Lupin asked, "How much money?"  
Sirius named a figure which made them gape at him, totally stunned.  
  
"That... that much money?..... and.... a house?" Remus said weakly.  
Sirius seemed incapable of speaking. He just nodded wordlessly.  
"Your parents are letting you *keep* it all?" Gill asked.  
Another nod.  
"You'll never have to work a day in your life," Serena said, awed.  
Remus stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend. "What are you going to do?"  
"Um......... well......." Sirius said, looking at Remus' parents uneasily. He looked back at Remus and said timidly, "I think I'll ask you if you want to live with me."   
No one spoke for a minute. Then Remus got up and hugged Sirius. "Oh, love, of course I will!"  
"That is," Sirius said hastily, shooting another uneasy glance at Remus' parents, "Only if your parents say it's okay.... and it's not like we can move in right away.... the place needs fixing up and all..."  
"It's almost like proposing," Gill sniggered, but held up his hands in defense as Sirius glared at him. "I'm only kidding."  
"I can, can't I?" Remus asked his parents, looking rather pleadingly at them. "Please?"  
"Well...... I suppose you can if you want to," Mr. Lupin said, and then asked Sirius curiously, "Your parents are actually letting you keep it all?"  
"Yeah," Sirius said weakly, clinging to Remus tightly. His legs felt like spaghetti. "Yeah, they actually are."  
"Can we see it?" Mrs. Lupin asked, looking excited. Remus knew that look. Already she was probably planning drapes and carpets and God knew what else, for a house that wasn't even hers. Oh, well. Let her dream.   
"We-ell," Sirius said hesitantly, "I'd - well, I'd kind of like to show Remus first - by ourselves, I mean - see if he likes it....." he looked at Remus. "If you don't like it, love, we can always buy our own house - hell, we probably *could* move to France if you wanted -"  
"Why don't we wait until I see it first?" Remus teased gently, and kissed him on the nose. "Let me just get dressed, okay?"  
"Okay," Sirius said. "And I think I'll sit down before my legs give out on me."  
  
Remus dashed upstairs and was back in five minutes; he tugged impatiently on Sirius' hand. "Come on!"  
"Hang on," Sirius said, trying to eat his muffin and drink his coffee all at once (Mrs. Lupin had insisted he eat something; she had been afraid he was about to faint). "Mmmpmmhpm."  
"What?" said everyone.  
Sirius swallowed with some difficulty. "I said, the house'll still be there by the time I finish eating." He drained his coffee mug and stood. "Thanks, Mrs. Lupin, that was good."  
Remus was nearly dancing with impatience. "Come on, let's go!"  
"In a hurry, are you?" Henri teased.   
"It's not every day your boyfriend inherits a fortune he wants to share with you," Gill laughed.  
"Don't forget your coat!" Mrs. Lupin called after them. "And - oh, never mind." Too late, they were already gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Remus was very glad Sirius had borrowed his father's car today; the house was in Kent and it was freezing outside, and to make it worse a slushy snow/rain mixture started falling just as they left the house. But it was warm and dry in the car. Remus turned the radio up just a little more and then leaned back with a content sigh. "Your bike is wonderful, love, but I definitely prefer this."  
"And on days like this, I do, too," Sirius said, peering out through the hazy rain as he turned down Smith Lane. "Okay.... it should be coming up on my side, help me keep an eye out for it. 117."  
They squinted closely at the house numbers and mailboxes. The houses here were spaced rather far apart, and most were surrounded by trees.  
"There it is," Sirius said, and Remus looked to where he was pointing. All he saw was trees, a mailbox, and a dirt road leading off Smith Lane.  
"Where's the house?"  
"Set back from the road a bit. Hold on."  
He carefully turned down the dirt road. It was very dark down here, Remus noted. They seemed to be driving through a tunnel of trees.  
But then - bam. the tunnel suddenly opened out into a huge clearing, and the house loomed into view as Sirius pulled up to it.  
It was a rather nice house, built American log-cabin style (like a cabin at a summer camp, kind of). It was only one floor, but it was very long, and surrounded on all sides by a wide veranda. All the shutters were closed (good, no broken windows to contend with), and it looked in good shape.  
Sirius turned off the engine, but didn't make a move to get out of the car. He was gazing up at the house with a dreamy look on his face, and as Remus turned to him he saw a tear run down his cheek. "Love? are you all right?"  
Giving himself a quick shake, Sirius looked back at Remus and smiled. "Yeah, I'm all right."  
"You're crying."  
"I am?"  
Remus caught the tear on his fingertip before it rolled off Sirius' jaw. He held it towards Sirius, who looked at it and bit his lip.  
"Old memories, Remmie. We used to come and visit Gram here every Saturday. That was before Grampa died - she moved in with us afterwards because she got too lonely being here alone." He fumbled in his pockets and finally pulled out a tissue, and quickly wiped his eyes. "Come on, let's go in."  
They dashed from the car and to the safety of the veranda (which the roof overhung. that was nice). Sirius pulled a set of slightly tarnished keys on an old leather fob from his pocket, selected the right one, and unlocked the front door.  
  
It was only slightly warmer in the house than it was outside, and twice as dark. Sirius shivered and shoved the keys back into his pocket, mumbling. "If we want to do any work in this place we might want to have a space heater." He pulled out his wand. "Lumos!"  
Remus did the same, and they held their wands high to cast as much light as possible about the room they had just entered. It was sort of a small entrance hall - a 'mud room', if you will - with a fancy scrolled archway just to their right. Sirius led the way through, into what Remus assumed was the parlor.   
The room was filled with the ghostly shapes of furniture covered with old sheets. It was almost as dark as night in here, since the windows were shuttered, and very, *very* dusty. Remus sneezed. "D'you have a torch, or some candles?" he asked hopefully.  
"Not on me. But let me see -" Sirius took Remus' hand and led him through the living room. A hallway was to their left, and the kitchen to their right. They went into the kitchen, and Remus looked uncertainly around the room, holding both wands so Sirius could search the cupboards. There was a trapdoor in the corner of the room, set into the black-and-white checked linoleum, and opposite a door which Remus assumed lead to the backyard.  
'Aha," Sirius said triumphantly, pulling a pair of kerosene lanterns from a cupboard. "Perfect." He shook them, and sighed. "Not so perfect. They're dry. I think there's more kerosene in the shed... I'll be back."  
He dashed out the way they had come. Remus studied the old copper-colored refrigerator and the huge, stainless-steel double sink. A loud screeching noise made him jump, and he ran back into the living room.  
The sound was quickly explained. Sirius was outside, opening the shutters and latching them so they stayed open. The room had a large bay window that took up most of one wall, facing out into the front yard, and three regular-sized windows on the east wall. Sirius finished struggling with the last shutter and rushed back in, carrying a can of kerosene and panting, his hair dripping.  
"Hinges are rusty," he said as Remus took the kerosene from him. "I'll have to oil them sometime." He shook his wet hair out, then pulled it into a ponytail. "Okay, let's have some light."  
They went into the kitchens and Sirius carefully filled the lanterns and trimmed the wicks, then he used his wand to light them. "Much better," he said, satisfied, as the pale yellow light flooded the kitchen. "Here." He handed one of the lanterns to Remus. "Ready to see the rest of our little home?"  
"Yes, please," Remus said, taking his hand.  
  
Besides the kitchen and parlor (which was so large it would serve as a dining room as well), down the narrow hallway was a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small study that Remus fell in love with at once. He would have dearly loved to start taking down some of the dusty, yellowed books which sat on the shelves lining every wall; but instead he said to Sirius, "Which room should we have, love?"  
"This one," Sirius said, and led him across the hall. The door he opened now was to a third bedroom, and Remus gasped when he saw it. It was easily the largest. It had two more bay windows like the one in the living room, a fireplace, a corner bookcase, and a huge, lovely wardrobe. But the best part of it was the magnificent four-poster bed under one of the windows.   
"It looks like the one in the Shack," Remus said, sitting down on it. "Well.... okay. It's a different color (I think), but other than that it looks the same."  
Sirius sniggered and leaned down to kiss him. "So *that's* why you like it," he said seductively, and tried to pin Remus to the bed. But their movement caused the bed to cough up an enormous cloud of dust, and they stopped, coughing.  
"Okay, scratch that idea," choked Sirius, waving the dust away from his face. "We'll have to clean this place up before *anything* goes on in here."  
"Maybe it's just as well," Remus said, brushing dust from his coat. "We've been here a while now, Mum'll start to worry soon. And you still haven't shown me the yard."  
"All right," Sirius said, and they went back into the kitchen and out the door Remus had seen earlier.  
  
The back yard was enormous. Stairs led down from the veranda to a cement, fenced-in patio. A gate opened out onto the rest of the yard, and there was even an old barn and horse paddock. Sirius pointed to a large tarp spread over the far end of the patio. "The swimming pool's under there. Of course, we're going to have to spend a fortune getting it cleaned and filled and all." He sighed. "There goes my inheritance."  
"You couldn't spend all that money on just a pool," Remus said, shivering.  
"Ready to go home?" Sirius asked him, noticing how cold he looked and putting an arm around him.  
"Yes," Remus said, then smiled. "Pretty soon, *this* will be home."  
  
~March 1 - 117 Smith Lane~  
  
"Ooof!" James grunted as he and Sirius shoved the bookcase back into place. "Goddamn, this is heavy. What's it made out of, rocks?"  
"Probably," said Sirius, leaning against it and panting.  
"You weaklings," Lily teased from across the room, where she was washing the windows.   
"D'you want to try and lift it?" James asked her.  
"Ehrm.... not especially."  
"Then don't make fun."  
  
After a month of scrubbing, painting, cleaning, remodeling, and rearranging, the house was almost ready to be lived in. The smell of dust and mothballs had been replaced with the nice smells of paint, wallpaper paste, and Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover. James and Sirius had spent a whole day crawling all over the house, oiling hinges and doorknobs, so now all the shutters were open, allowing the sunshine to stream in and making the house bright and cheerful. The renovations were done. All that remained was to clean everything, fix the mailbox (which Sirius' Uncle Vic had accidentally hit the other day), and move Sirius and Remus' stuff in.  
That was the best part of having large families and lots of friends. Almost everyone Sirius and Remus knew had helped out with the house at some point, the most frequent and faithful helpers being their parents, James, Lily, Grace, and Peter. Both Remus and Sirius had had a bit of a tendency to object to James and Lily helping -didn't they have a wedding to plan, after all? - but James and Lily waved off their protests.   
"It'll only be a small wedding," Lily had said, smiling.  
"And we've done almost everything," James had added. "Now all we have to do is make sure it all comes together smoothly."  
  
Well, as neither Sirius or Remus knew anything about planning a wedding, they just had to take it as the truth. Besides, they didn't know how they'd have gotten so much done so fast without their help.  
"Okay, kitchen floor's wet, don't walk on it!" Grace said, coming into the parlor. "It should be dry in a few minutes, then I'll wax it. Would you *look* at this?" she held up the rags she had used on the floor, her button nose wrinkled in disgust. "Totally gross. I'm going to throw these out." She ran outside and tossed them into the Dumpster, and came back in, followed by Peter, who was wiping his brow with a handkerchief.   
"Okay, I fixed the mailbox," he said. "I think cementing it back in was the worst part."  
"Thanks, Pete," Sirius said, crawling over to the phone which sat on the floor beside the kitchen door. "Who wants what on their pizza?"  
"Sausage!" Remus called from the bathroom, where he was standing in the tub, putting up a new showerhead.  
"Green pepper," James said.  
"Extra cheese," said Peter.  
"Hold on!" Sirius grabbed a scrap of wallpaper and pulled his pencil out from behind his ear. "I've got to write this down. Sausage, pepper, extra cheese... Lil?"  
"No pizza for me, I want a garden salad," Lily replied, as she and Grace began rehanging the freshly-washed drapes.  
"Me too, please," said Grace.  
"I'll have a turkey sandwich, dear," Mrs. Black called from one of the bedrooms, where she was making the bed.  
"I'd like one too," said Mrs. Lupin, who was helping Lily and Grace with the drapes.  
"Chili dog with the works!" Uncle Vic bellowed down from the attic, where he was cleaning the windows.  
"Okay, I think that's all," Sirius said, after calling up the pizza parlor and giving his order. "Jim, you wanna help me go get the lot?"  
"Sure."  
"Remmie?"  
"I'd like to, love, but I want to get this showerhead up," Remus called. "Can you manage with just you and Jim? I'll come if you need the help....."  
"We'll be okay," Sirius said, coming into the bathroom and kissing him. "Back soon. Love you."  
"Love you too."  
  
Sirius and James left in Sirius' car (he had finally gotten one; a lovely black Camero with a *very* loud engine), picked up the lunch, and brought it home. They all ended up eating on an old sheet spread out on the parlor floor (brand new carpet. take no chances!). And back to work.  
"We could by stock in aspirin," James sighed as he and Sirius prepared to move the other bookcase, so Grace could vacuum under it. "I've had more backaches than I can count."  
"Buck up," said Lily. "You wuss."  
"Hey, remember the conversation we had about that earlier?"  
  
~March 27 - 117 Smith Lane - 3:10 A.M.~  
  
"Whew," Sirius said, sliding into bed beside Remus. "I think I had too much to drink."  
"I know you did," Remus said, kissing his forehead. "You're in for some pain tomorrow."  
"Ugh. Don't make me think about it."  
They had finally moved into their new home yesterday, and had invited all their friends and family over for an impromptu housewarming party. Remus had been rather glad there were responsible adults there, though - all of his and Sirius' friends had been far less rowdy than they would have under other circumstances. Meaning their nice, clean house had stayed relatively nice and clean.  
"I like this bed," Remus said, pulling the blankets up to his chin. "Even if it isn't the same color as the other one." (After being washed, this bed's hangings turned out to be a deep red.)  
"It's much nicer without twenty years of dust," Sirius agreed.  
It was quiet for a minute. Remus was beginning to doze off when Sirius snuggled closer. "What, you're falling asleep already?"  
"I *was*," Remus said, opening an eye. "Aren't you tired?"  
"Nope. I was kind of hoping you'd help me with that."  
"You really never learned the definition of 'subtle', did you?"  
"No. And it doesn't get anyone anywhere, so I don't think I'll need to. Besides, this bed needs breaking in."  
Remus sighed. "You win. I guess I can't refuse. It is our first night here and all...."  
"I knew you'd see it my way," Sirius said with an evil leer.  
  
~April 20~  
  
The phone rang at five that morning. Remus stirred and grumbled crossly. Sirius opened one eye and grumbled, "Why did we put a phone next to our bed?"  
"Just in case," Remus yawned, leaning over him and snagging the phone. "Hello? Mum?" "Hasn't anyone in your family heard of owls?" Sirius groused as the phone cord got tangled in his hair.  
"Shut up," Remus hissed. "Mum, what's wrong?"  
"It's your sister," Mrs. Lupin said tearfully.  
Remus gulped. "Sere? What happened? Is she okay?"  
"I don't know," sobbed his mother. "She's missing!"  
"Missing?" Remus yelped, making Sirius open his eyes and look questioningly at him. "W-when? How? I mean, did someone kidnap her?"  
"No," his mother said. "She's - what?" A pause, then some muttering, and shuffling noises as the phone was switched to another person.  
"Remus, I think you'd better come here," his father said heavily.   
"Okay, Dad.... Siri and I'll be there soon..." Remus said, then hung up and jumped out of bed, going to the wardrobe and pulling out the first outfit he saw. "Siri, come on."  
"What's going on?" Sirius mumbled sleepily, sitting up and finger-combing his hair out of his eyes.  
"Serena's missing," Remus said, dashing into the bathroom. He was out in record time. "Get dressed, love," he said impatiently, seeing that Sirius wasn't even out of bed yet.   
"S'too early," Sirius mumbled, rubbing his eyes.  
Remus dashed back into the bathroom, held a washcloth under the cold water, then ran back into the bedroom and stuck it down the back of his lover's undershirt.  
"YAAAHH!" Sirius screeched, jumping. "Good Lord, that's *COLD*!"  
"Good, now get moving," Remus ordered, handing the washcloth to him and running out of the room.  
Sirius grumbled, but now he was wide awake. He got dressed, washed, and combed and went into the parlor to find his boots. Remus was practically dancing with impatience. "Come on!"  
Sirius pulled on his boots. "You could have gone on ahead," he grumbled before they Disapperated.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
They arrived at Remus' parents' house to find it in chaos. Mr. Lupin was on the phone, calling the Muggle policemen. Mrs. Lupin was crying at the table with Henri beside her, trying to comfort her, and Gill was leaning against the counter, chain-smoking the awful-smelling French cigarettes he preferred. As soon as Remus and Sirius Apperated, Mrs. Lupin leapt up and seized them both in a hug. "Thank goodness you're here!"  
"Mum, what's going on?" Remus said, as he and Sirius steered his mother back to the table. "What happened to Serena? Where's she gone?"  
"We don't know. She didn't leave a note or anything," Gill said between puffs.  
Sirius coughed and waved the smoke away from his face. "You didn't have an argument with her, did you?"  
"Nope," said Gill.   
"She has been acting funny lately, though," Henri added.  
"How long has she been gone?" Remus asked his mother. "I mean, when did you find out she was missing?"  
"Around half-past four," his mother replied. "I got up to get a drink of water, and when I passed her room I thought I heard her talking to someone, so I went in to check on her. But she was gone!"  
Gill stubbed out his cigarette and immediately lit another. "Rem, she never said anything to you, did she? Was she... I dunno.. not happy or something?"  
"How should I know?" Remus asked irritably. "I think she's been to our house maybe once, and she seemed fine then."  
Mr. Lupin hung up the phone. "The policemen are on their way." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wish I knew why she's doing this.... when she gets home... I'll personally make sure she can't sit for a week!"  
"Dad, spanking her won't work," sighed Henri, then glared at Sirius, who was standing by the window, which he had opened. "Do you *mind*, Fido? It's freezing in here!"  
"Shut up, I can't breathe," Sirius snapped, giving Gill a Look.   
Gill smiled apologetically and stubbed out his cigarette. "Sorry." He reached instead for a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "These'll have to do, I guess."  
  
By the time the policemen arrived, they had tried calling (or fireplace-calling) everyone they could and searching the neighborhood, but with no luck. Sirius even tried asking James and Lily, but they hadn't seen Serena either.  
"It's no use," Sirius said, coming back into the kitchen (he had gone into the living room to use the fireplace). "Nobody's seen her."  
"But how'd she get away?!" Mrs. Lupin wailed. "We'd have known if she used Floo Powder - she can't Apperate - and if she walked or drove or flew someone would have seen her!"  
Mr. Lupin went to let the policemen in, who had just arrived. While he talked to them in the living room, everyone else just paced nervously around the house.   
"I can't think of a single possible place she could go," Mr. Lupin said to the policemen, looking helpless. "We've called everyone we could think of, including our relatives in France, and there's certainly no way she could be there."  
"Does she have a boyfriend?" one of the officers asked. "Did she go off with him?"  
"I don't think she has a boyfriend," Mr. Lupin said, and Remus gasped loudly and clapped a hand to his mouth.  
"Remus?" his mother asked curiously. "What is it?"  
"Siri!" Remus said, ignoring his mother and looking at Sirius. "What about -"  
"Oh no," Sirius said, his eyes widening. "God, she wouldn't!"  
"She would," Remus said.  
"Remus! What are you talking about?" Mr. Lupin demanded.  
"Grub Jointly," Remus and Sirius groaned together.  
"*What?*" The Lupins and the policemen said all together, looking mystified. And at that same moment, the door opened, and Serena walked in, wearing a very short white dress, arm-in-arm with none other than Grub Jointly.  
  
Years later, Remus wondered why he hadn't died of shock right that minute.  
  
"Hi, everyone!" Serena said happily, then noticed the policemen. "Hey, what's going on? Are you finally arresting Sirius?"  
"Ha, ha," Sirius said sarcastically.  
"Serena! Oh, my baby!" Mrs. Lupin sobbed, crushing her daughter to her.   
Mr. Lupin ground his teeth, looking furious, but didn't say a word to Serena until he had thanked the policemen, apologized for bothering them, and shown them out. As soon as their patrol car pulled away, he turned to his daughter.  
"Where the DEVIL have you *BEEN*? Your mother and I have been worried sick! And who is this?" he demanded, noticing Grub for the first time.  
"This is my husband, Gregory!" Serena said cheerfully.  
"Your *WHAT*?!" the other Lupins and Sirius screamed in unison.  
"My husband!" Serena said. "Didn't you hear me?"  
"Dear God," Remus said, holding on to Sirius' arm for support (and to keep Sirius from tackling Grub. They were glaring at each other - they had been opponents at Quidditch last year).  
"Y-you're too young to get married!" Mrs. Lupin cried.  
"I think I can handle it, Mum," Serena said.   
"B-b-but- your education! You-"  
"I'm not dropping out, Mum! I'd have to be crazy to leave Hogwarts!"  
"But....." Mrs. Lupin said helplessly, and couldn't seem to finish. Instead she sunk into the nearest chair, staring at her daughter.  
"What were you thinking?!" Mr. Lupin roared. "Your mother's right! You're too young to get married!"  
"Remus is only two years older than me and *he's* practically married," Serena scowled.  
"We aren't *talking* about your brother," Mr. Lupin growled. "We are talking about *you*."  
"Oh, but Daddy, you're not being fair!" Serena wailed, stomping her foot. Sirius smothered a giggle. Serena could be very childish at times. And now was one of those times.  
Remus was torn between watching Sirius and Grub (who still hadn't said a word. Most likely he was still trying to figure out what was going on). While his parents were arguing with his sister, Remus could see Sirius was fighting not to laugh. He sighed inwardly. If Sirius started laughing out loud it would only make things worse. There was only one thing to be done.   
"Mum, Dad," he said, and they looked at him in surprise. "I'm glad Sere's home and all but.... um.... I think Siri and I should go, and let you discuss this in peace..." He elbowed Sirius, who nodded in agreement, still choking back his laughter.   
"All right....." Mr. Lupin said distractedly, and so Remus and Sirius Disapperated.  
  
"Be glad I didn't kill you," Remus said as they climbed back into bed to catch up on their sleep.  
"What?" Sirius asked innocently.  
"Don't act all innocent. If you had laughed out loud I would have killed you. This is *serious*, dear!"  
"I was only laughing at the fact that *Grub Jointly* is your brother-in-law," Sirius said sweetly.  
"Shut up! You have a stupid brother-in-law too! And you still have to put up with Grub!"  
"We're not married," Sirius said smugly. "So he's *not* related to me in any way. Ha ha."  
"One more comment like that and you'll find yourself sleeping on the sofa, Fido."  
"Oh, I was only kidding, Moony! You're ever so mean!"  
  
~May 16 - Grace's House~  
  
"I really don't know what's wrong with him," Grace said helplessly, twisting her handkerchief. "He's been acting so *weird* lately...."  
Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily were over at Grace's house. She had asked them to dinner, and in the middle of the meal had broken down completely. They managed to get her to tell them what was wrong, and she had told them that Peter had been acting strangely as of late.  
"He goes off for hours at a time and doesn't tell me where he's going," she continued. "Even his parents don't know. When I ask him about it, he changes the subject or doesn't answer at all!"  
The others exchanged glances. "Well, Pete's weird, is all," Sirius said uncomfortably.   
"Don't feel too bad, darling, Peter doesn't seem the type to cheat on you," Lily said comfortingly, patting Grace's hand.   
"But what else *could* he be doing?" Grace wondered aloud. "He's been reading a lot lately too... writing things down... he doesn't spend as much time with me as he usually does...."  
"Maybe he's joined a book club," shrugged James, and he and Sirius sniggered. Grace and Lily glared at them, while Remus rolled his eyes.  
"Books aren't life-consuming," Lily snapped. "You insensitive clods."  
"So you *say*," Sirius replied. "*You've* never had to pry a book out of Remmie's hands at bedtime."  
James sniggered again as Remus turned beet-red and smacked Sirius upside the head. "Shut up, you really are an insensitive clod," he said. "We're not talking about books, we're talking about *Peter*."  
"Yes, I remember," James said, calming down. "I'm sorry, Grace. But maybe he's just... I dunno, planning a big secret surprise. Maybe buying you a house or something. Don't worry about it too much, dear. Pete's a good guy. Whatever he's up to can't last long, and it'll probably end up being something you didn't even need to worry about."  
"Yes, you're probably right, James," Grace sighed. "Who wants dessert?"  
  
~June 17th - St. John's cathedral~  
  
"Do you, James William Potter, take this woman to be your wife?"  
"I do."  
"And do you, Lily Rose Evans, take this man to be your husband?"   
"I do."  
"Very good. The rings?"  
Remus sniffled and dabbed at his eyes with his hanky, watching as Sirius handed one of the rings to Lily. She slipped it onto James' finger. Sirius handed the other ring to James, and James put it on Lily's finger. Then they clasped hands and turned back to the minister.   
"By the power vested in me by the Church of England, and by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."  
It was no good. Remus finally dissolved into tears as James raised Lily's veil and kissed her. On Peter's other side, Grace began to cry as well, and she and Remus went to hug each other, trapping Peter (looking heartily embarrassed) in between them. Nearly everyone in the church was crying; out of the corner of his eye Remus saw Sirius duck his head slightly and swipe at his eyes with his sleeve. It happened so fast no one else noticed it but Remus.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius shook his head slightly and reached for his glass of wine. "To the bride, and to her stupid ugly git of a husband," he cackled.  
"To my dumb prat of a best friend and best man," James retorted, and he and Sirius clinked their glasses together.  
"I'll drink to him," Sirius sniggered. "Bloody gorgeous, he is."  
"You'll drink to lint, so that's nothing new," Peter teased. Sirius shot him a dirty look.  
"Now don't drink too much, dear," Mrs. Black said from the other table.  
"Aww, Mum, I won't." Sirius perked up as the DJ put on the BeeGees. "Remmie! Want to dance?"  
"Only if you leave that here," Remus said firmly, plucking the wineglass from his lover's fingers and setting it down. "I don't fancy having wine spilled down my back. Or trying to explain to the Muggles at the tuxedo place where the stain came from."  
"Oh, all right," pouted Sirius, and steered Remus off to the dance floor.   
  
Dancing with Sirius was quite an adventure that night. Remus had to do most of the leading, especially after Sirius finished off his seventh glass of wine. He leaned against Remus and let him guide them through the dances.   
"I told you not to drink that much, love," Remus sighed. "You're in for a hangover tomorrow."  
"Don' care. S' a good cause t'celebrate," Sirius slurred. "Hey. Look at Lil n' Jim."  
Remus looked. His friends were dancing close together, looking happier than he had ever seen them. They didn't even seem to be noticing anything but each other, and in the bright light they were, for a fleeting moment at least, a god and goddess. For a moment he stopped and looked, caught up in the beauty of it all, and almost started crying again. But then Sirius' foot slipped, almost bowling them both over, and he tightened his grip on Sirius and started moving again.  
"They're so perfect for each other," Remus said, his eyes misting over anyway.  
"Not the only ones," Sirius mumbled, planting a sloppy, alcohol-smelling kiss on his cheek. "So're we."  
Remus blushed. "I think so, too," he said softly.  
Sirius looked at him shyly from under his hair, and Remus began to think perhaps Sirius wasn't as drunk as he seemed.  
"Cawe - sorry - *can we* go outside for a minute?" Sirius asked him.  
"All right. But not long. They'll be cutting the cake soon."  
  
They left the reception hall and strolled around the grounds, avoiding the gazebo where several guests sat chatting and smoking. Once out of sight of the gazebo, Sirius turned to Remus and took his hands.  
"Remmie, I love you so much," he said softly. He saw Remus start to speak, and put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Shh. Let me finish, love. I don't think I'll ever have the courage to do this again."  
He reached onto his pocket and fumbled around, muttering to himself. "Where did I - aha! Right here." He pulled out a small gray jewelry box. Remus' eyes widened.   
"Siri, what-"  
Sirius smiled. "I know we can't get married. People are a lot more open-minded these days, but not *that* open-minded." He opened the box. Inside glimmered two plain golden rings. "But I thought - if you want to, that is - we could wear these as, ehrm, well, I guess you could call them promise rings. Because if there ever comes a day when we *can* get married, love, I want you to know I would in a second. So.... I guess the question is, will you 'marry' me?"  
He waited. Remus was still staring at the rings. Sirius began to sweat. Oh, great. This wasn't looking good. He wished he had had a few more glasses of wine. Now Remus would tell him he was crazy, or-  
But then Remus looked up at him, and Sirius saw he was crying.  
"You bloody stupid git," Remus whispered. "You knew I'd say yes." He put his head on Sirius' shoulder and broke down completely.  
"No, I didn't," Sirius murmured, stroking his hair. "But now I do." He took one of the rings out of the box, and took Remus' left hand. He kissed it before sliding the gold band onto the third finger.  
Remus' breath caught as he took the other ring and put it on Sirius' hand. He looked back up at Sirius, blinking back more tears. "I love you, Siri."  
"I love you too, Remmie," Sirius said softly, and pulled Remus into his arms for a nice, long kiss.  
  
  
That wedding was one of the most beautiful nights in Remus' life. He remembered it years and years later, even after his own perfect world had collapsed and the old memories gave him nothing but pain...  
  
  
To Be Continued  
  
(Coming Soon : Year 9, the second Post-Hogwarts year! Sirius and Remus are quite happy together in their little home, and far from bored. They have their jobs to go to, and Remus has started college. In between, they deal with housework, relatives both old and new, James and Lily's big news, and Peter's increasing strangeness. Wait, what's this? Snape? What's he doing back, you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see!) 


	9. Year 9, Post Hogwarts 2 College, House...

Disclaimer: See the first chapter....  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Jealousy abounds with the return of Snapey! And some very stuffy relatives come to visit!!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  


  
Year 9 - College, Housework, and Other Challenges  


  
~September 20, 1983 - London College of Advanced Magical Study~  
  
Many interested glances were directed towards a long-haired young man in a leather jacket who was leaning against a tree, unconcernedly examining his fingernails. Nor were all of these glances from girls.   
Another young man, this one with light brown hair and warm hazel eyes, stepped out of the building, slinging his bag over his shoulder. His eyes scanned the college's front lawn, and stopped on the long-haired man. A smile spread across his face and he hurried over.  
  
Sirius looked up and saw Remus walking towards him. He smiled, and when Remus reached his side he bent to kiss his lover's cheek. Have a good day, Moony?  
Yes, very good, Remus replied, taking Sirius by the hand. How was work?  
Sirius shrugged.   
What else is new? Remus said, rolling his eyes and making Sirius laugh, but then his mate assumed a serious expression (no pun intended).  
Snapey hasn't been bothering you, has he?   
  
Remus was attending London College of Advanced Magical Study this year. He had finally decided that he really *did* want to be a professor, and as Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been his best subject, it seemed like the perfect subject for him to teach. But he had been less than enthused to find out Snape was taking the same classes as he was, also training to be a professor. It was quite unnerving to be in class and having to ignore the piercing stares of his biggest enemy, who was quite obviously still furious over everything that had happened between them at Hogwarts. Remus supposed his being engaged' to Sirius didn't help the situation any. Well, of course he hadn't said anything about that to Snape, but the gold band on his left hand was just a little too obvious to ignore. He considered Sirius' question.   
he said at last. He's not bothering me.  
Sirius raised a skeptical eyebrow. You sure?  
Sure as sure, Remus replied softly, giving his hand a squeeze. I swear it's okay.  
Okay then, Sirius shrugged, and changed the subject. What do you want for dinner tonight? I could pick something up from a restaurant-  
No, no, no, Remus said sternly, shaking his head. You've been trying to worm your way out of cooking for me ever since we moved in together. I've been cooking for you for months - now it's your turn.  
Sirius gulped. But Remmie! I can't cook! I don't know how!  
Anyone who can read can cook, Remus said. That's why cookbooks were invented.  
I don't think we have any, Sirius said.  
Yes we do. Mum felt it somewhat necessary to give me a whole pile of them. Perhaps she knows something I don't.  
Sirius said weakly. Okay, I'll try, but I'm not promising anything.  
Thank you, Remus said. Mr. Stubborn.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius wandered into the kitchen around five that afternoon. A tad early to eat, but as he figured it, it was going to take him forever to figure out what he was doing.  
He closed the door behind him and studied the rack of cookbooks which sat on the counter, just where Remus said they would be (Dang, there goes my first excuse,' he thought). Hmm. Modern French Cooking'. Charm Your Own Cheese'. Classical French Dishes'. Enchantments In Baking'. He gulped. What was this? Why wasn't there a book called Cooking For Hopeless Morons Who Don't Know What They're Doing'?  
With a sigh, he picked the thinnest cookbook from the rack. Delicious, Easy Recipes', the title read.  
Okay, if you say so, Sirius said to the book, and opened it. Baked Cod', the first recipe was. No, they had no cod. No fish at all, actually. String Bean Casserole'. The picture looked disgusting. Pork Rolls' - pork rolls? Turkey Soup'..... Lasagna'.... this wasn't easy!   
He flipped through the book in desperation. he shouted, coming upon a simple recipe : baked chicken breast. He scanned the recipe. This had to be easy. There were only three steps.  
1. Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Cover chicken in Italian salad dressing and bread crumbs.  
Fine, I will, Sirius said, taking the chicken out of the refrigerator and doing as he was told.  
2. Put chicken in oven.  
*That* was obvious, Sirius mumbled.  
3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  
Toothpick, eh? Sirius said, and shrugged.   
  
Well, the chicken baked for twenty minutes. Sirius extracted it from the oven after the timer beeped, and examined it closely.  
Well, it *looks* like chicken, he said, prodding it gingerly. It has to be good. Where's the toothpicks?   
He seized one and poked the chicken. It wasn't bloodstained when he pulled it out. Everything looked good so far. Hm, I think I did it, he muttered. Guess I'm not as hopeless as I thought.  
  
He dished everything out and carried the plates proudly into the dining room, where Remus sat waiting.  
Oh! This looks good! Remus said as Sirius put his dinner down in front of him. Chicken. I should have guessed. It's your favorite.  
Sirius watched anxiously as Remus cut a piece of chicken and popped it into his mouth. Remus chewed thoughtfully, then a frown creased his brow.  
What is it? Sirius asked. Is it okay?  
Remus swallowed. Ehrm - love - what did you put on this?  
Italian dressing. Just like the recipe said.  
Remus took another bite. Might I ask - where did you get the dressing?  
The refrigerator. It was in one of those glass bottles you keep the leftover dressing in.  
Remus spluttered with laughter. He put down his fork and continued to laugh, shaking his head.  
What? What did I do? What's so funny? Sirius asked.   
Remus said, wiping his eyes, Remember the shrimp bisque I made for us the other night?  
Sirius said, his heart sinking horribly.  
Well that wasn't Italian d-dressing - that was - the - he stopped and sniggered - That was the - c-clam broth I had leftover from making the bisque! And Remus put his head on the table and howled with laughter.  
Sirius moaned. Oh, Remmie! It isn't funny!  
Remus calmed down and kissed his cheek. I'm sorry, dear. I shouldn't laugh... it was my fault. I should have warned you. But I had no idea you'd try and make me Italian chicken. Don't fret, I still like it. The broth gives it an interesting taste.  
Sirius sighed, cutting a bite of chicken and trying it. Remus was right. It did taste different. Whether it was a good different or a bad different Sirius couldn't tell, but since he knew Remus hated to waste food it was better for him just to eat it.  
  
After they finished the meal and were washing the dishes, Sirius said, Remmie? Can I ask you a favor?  
Anything, dear.  
Next time, put a label on the bottle?  
  
~October 1 - 7:00 AM~  
  
Remus loved watching Sirius when he was asleep.  
  
He was just beautiful (well, Sirius was *always* beautiful.....). A few strands of his long hair were just beginning to come out of the braid Remus had put it in the night before, and he looked just so sweet, so peaceful. Nothing in his face that would make anyone believe this lovely, sleeping angel was anything but just that - nothing to indicate this angel' was fond of practical jokes, arguing with his parents, and leather leashes with choke chains.  
Actually, Remus should have been getting up. His first class was at nine, and he had to shower and eat and all... but he was content to stay where he was, lying on his side and watching his lover sleep.   
Sirius snorted and rolled over. Remus had to grab his arm to keep him from falling off the bed. Most unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough, and found himself being pulled off the bed as well. He landed on Sirius, who grunted, and woke up. He blinked up at Remus, who was fighting back a giggle. Wha' happened? he asked sleepily.  
You fell off the bed, Remus chuckled. I tried to stop you, but it just added to the avalanche.  
Sirius sighed. And I was having such a nice dream, too. We were on the beach. He paused. I hate the cold.  
I know you do, Remus said, kissing him on the nose and getting off him. Come now, get up. Things to do, you know. You don't want to be late for work, do you?  
No, Dad'd kill me, Sirius grumbled, heaving himself up off the floor. Should I make breakfast?  
If you make cold cereal.  
Sirius glared at him, but Remus just giggled as he went to the wardrobe for his clothes. I'm sorry.  
That's better, his mate mumbled, pushing the blankets and pillows back onto the bed. I can't help that I'm culinarily challenged.  
That isn't even a word!  
It is now.  
Remus shook his head as he headed for the bathroom. Sometimes Sirius could be quite odd.   
  
After breakfast had been eaten, the dishes done, and the bed made, Remus packed up his books and got ready to head off to school.  
Would you like a ride, or are you going to Apperate? Sirius asked him (Sirius had to drive to work every day; his father's Muggle employees wouldn't be too happy if he kept popping up out of nowhere).  
You can drive me, if you have the time and don't mind, Remus said.   
I should mind driving my lover around? Sirius asked, and rolled his eyes. Remmie, you know I don't mind.  
All right then, Remus said softly, and leaned up to kiss him. Thank you.  
  
The college wasn't far from their home; they got there after three songs (Sirius always measured a car trip's length in songs - today it had been Love Me Do', Dancing Days', and Iron Man'). Remus slung his bag over his shoulder and kissed Sirius goodbye.  
Have a good day, love. See you soon, Sirius said.  
All right. Don't annoy your father. Love you.  
Love you too.  
Remus got out of the car and waved as Sirius drove away, then adjusted his bag and headed up the steps. Before he could get to the top, he was accosted by none other than Severus Snape.  
Hello, Lupin, Snape said rather stiffly. Remus sighed. For some reason, Snape never left him alone, even though Remus suspected Snape hated him after a fashion. And it was no good trying to avoid one another; they were in all the same classes.  
Hello, Severus, he said. How are you today?  
All right, I suppose, Snape grumbled in his usual cranky way. I take it *you're* doing well.  
I'm fine, thanks for asking, Remus said, trying his best to keep the sarcasm out of his voice as they entered their classroom.   
  
Snape couldn't help his attention from wandering that day. His gaze kept being drawn to Lupin like a moth to a flame. The old longing was still there, and so was the bitter, poisonous flow of hatred and jealousy for Black. What wouldn't I give to have Lupin?' Snape thought. I'd give absolutely anything to have him. I'd kill Black, even. Not a good idea. I'd be in Azkaban and Lupin would waste his time crying over Black. Even though I'd more likely win the Order of Merlin, First Class for murdering the dastard.'  
  
~October 15~  
  
The doorbell rang at nine o'clock that Saturday morning. Sirius and Remus were awake, but they were not out of bed yet. In fact, they had been in bed since three o'clock yesterday afternoon. Not all of those hours were spent sleeping.  
Love, would you mind getting that? Remus asked sweetly.  
Sirius grumbled, but got out of bed and pulled on his jeans. He trudged to the door and yanked it open to reveal two very stuffy-looking people standing there, frowning severely at him. One was a scrawny, tight-lipped woman with light brown hair pulled back into a severe bun. The other was a tall and equally scrawny man with white hair and square spectacles.  
They stared at one another for several seconds. Sirius could feel the air of disapproval growing as the man and woman surveyed him from head to toe, taking in his long, uncombed hair, his earring, his skin-tight jeans, and his bare feet. They raised their eyebrows in identical looks of surprise.   
Er - love, I think it's for you, Sirius called, still staring at the two strangers.  
Remus shuffled into the room a few minutes later, wearing his favorite old pair of slippers and buckling his belt. He stopped, and blushed. Uncle Nicholas... Tante Beatrice.... er.... hello...  
There you are, Remus, the woman said stiffly, striding into the room and giving her nephew a hard little peck on the cheek. Your mother said we'd find you here.  
Didn't you know we were coming? his uncle said, walking past Sirius as though he were a hat stand. Your mother said she owled you about our visit.  
  
Er - Remus glanced at the pile of mail from yesterday. He had been meaning to read it once he got home from school, but then he and Sirius had gotten involved and he had forgotten all about it....  
Of course I did, he lied quickly. I must have just gotten the dates confused. I'm sorry...  
His aunt, however, was eyeing Sirius again. Your mother said you were living with someone, she said. Where is she?  
Beg pardon? Remus asked.  
The girl you're living with! Where is she?  
Remus blanched. Er - actually..... I'm not living with a girl. I'm living with my boyfriend....  
Summoning all the dignity he could despite being half-dressed, Sirius smiled timidly and held out his hand. Er - bonjour?  
  
It was so quiet one could have heard a pin drop.  
  
Remus' aunt raised an eyebrow at him. Your - boyfriend? she asked, pointedly ignoring Sirius' outstretched hand.  
Didn't Mum tell you? Remus asked, fighting the urge to faint.  
No. She just said you were living with someone, His uncle said. She never mentioned who it was.  
Of course she wouldn't have. Remus knew very well his aunt and uncle would never have come to visit if they had known who he was living with. He glanced at Sirius, who was looking out the window and blushing beet-red under his curtain of hair. No help there.  
Er... well.... Sirius and I are living together.  
His aunt and uncle exchanged looks, then looked from Remus to Sirius with some skepticism. Remus saw that Sirius had stopped blushing. Bad sign. He prayed Sirius wouldn't lose his temper. He was dangerous when he did.  
Instead, Sirius said quietly, Excuse me for a moment, please, and headed into the bedroom. To neaten up a bit and put on a shirt, Remus figured, but he sighed and turned to his aunt and uncle.  
Let's not have a blazing row over this, he said tiredly. You're acting the very same way my parents and Sirius' did when we told them about us. And you know, I'm really tired of it. I love Sirius and nothing anyone can say will keep me from him. Now, if you can live with that, I'll put a shirt on and start some tea. If you don't, then you can go back to Mum and tell her things aren't working out. All right?  
Beatrice and Nicholas looked at each other. Their nephew had never spoken to them like this before; in fact, they had thought he never spoke to *anyone* that way. But Beatrice forced a smile.  
Well, Remus, dear ... does he know about - your condition?  
Remus answered, detesting how everyone called it a condition'. That was such a stupid word. But he didn't say anything about it. Yes, he knows.  
Then what - his aunt began, but her husband laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slightly at her.   
It looked as though the embarrassing questions were over, so Remus had his aunt and uncle take seats on the couch, then he excused himself and hurried into the bedroom, where Sirius was fiddling nervously with his hair.  
It's safe to come out now, Remus teased, opening the wardrobe and pulling out one of Sirius' flannel shirts. He pulled it on and began buttoning it up.   
Sirius sighed. Remmie, why do I always get the feeling half your family wants me dead? he asked.  
Remus fastened the last button and went to hug his mate. I'm so sorry, love. It's just a new thing to the family, I guess. How shall we handle the gay werewolf and his boyfriend?' He kissed Sirius' cheek. They'll get used to it in time. I promise.  
All right. said Sirius. Where are your relatives now? Here, or fleeing?  
Here, that's why I put a shirt on. Come on, before they get suspicious.  
That's one of *my* shirts, I see, Sirius said, putting his own slippers on.  
I like wearing your clothes. They smell like you. It's... I dunno, like a security blanket.  
Should I be pleased? Sirius asked as they left the room.  
Yes, very much so, Remus said, kissing him again.  
  
The rest of the afternoon was rather pleasant. Remus could sense his aunt and uncle steadily thawing towards Sirius - very slowly, it was true, but better than nothing. Beatrice seemed most eager to question Sirius about his job and the house and ask all sorts of questions that Remus thought were very nosy questions indeed. But Sirius didn't seem flustered and fielded them all quite calmly. As Remus was pouring more tea for them all, his uncle asked, You haven't seen Serena around, have you?  
Mum didn't tell you about her either?' Remus asked, shooting a glare at Sirius, who looked as though he might burst out laughing at any minute (as he always did whenever Serena was mentioned these days). She got married.  
Beatrice gasped. She's not leaving school, is she?  
Not at all, Remus said. I mean, it will be a bother for Gru- I mean, Gregory, to have her gone for a year, but she wants to finish up at Hogwarts. What she's going to do afterwards, I have no idea.  
Who did she marry? Beatrice asked.  
Grub - oops - I mean, Gregory Jointly, Remus said.  
His uncle frowned. Isn't he George Jointly's son?  
I think so. He must be, it's not a common name, Remus said, kicking Sirius under the table.   
Terrible lot, that family, Nicholas grumbled. Why did Serena marry one of them?  
I wouldn't know, Remus said, handing around the plate of biscuits.  
Do you have her address? Beatrice asked. I should like to see her.  
I think so. Siri, be a love and fetch the address book for me, Remus said, and Sirius obeyed, smothering a chuckle. Remus couldn't really see what was so funny, but then Sirius found a lot of things funny that most other people wouldn't.  
  
Sirius returned with the book, parchment, quill, and ink, and Remus looked Serena's address up and wrote it down for his aunt and uncle. They left a few minutes later, wanting to go and see Serena before they had to catch the Knight Bus back to France.   
Goodbye, dear, Beatrice said, giving her nephew another hard peck on the cheek (she was not fond of kissing people). Come visit us sometime, all right?  
We'll try, Remus promised, shaking his uncle's hand.   
Nicholas and Beatrice shook Sirius' hand as well (he was surprised), then Disapperated.   
  
See, they aren't as bad as all that, Remus said as he and Sirius began clearing away the tea things.   
No, they aren't, said Sirius, following him into the kitchen and putting dishes in the sink. He paused, and said, You know, Remmie, they *did* interrupt something this morning...  
Oh, you, Remus giggled. Aren't you ever satisfied?  
Sirius responded, sweeping Remus into his arms and carrying him to their bedroom.  
  
~November 10~  
  
  
Mrs. Black's voice floated into the kitchen, making her son and his boyfriend jump. They rushed into the living room to find Mrs. Black's head sitting in the fireplace. She was looking very excited.  
What is it, Mum? Sirius asked as he and Remus knelt on the hearth.  
You're an uncle! Mrs. Black beamed.  
Sirius' eyes widened, and so did his smile. No! Really? Lyra had the baby?  
Just now, his mother said proudly. Stanley Michael White, born at three o'clock on the dot.  
Oh, lovely! said Remus happily. Might we come and visit?  
Yes, yes, of course, Lyra is asking for you both right now, Mrs. Black said. You'd better hurry, she's getting quite cranky.  
All right, we'll be right along, Mum, Sirius said, already crawling under the couch in search of his boots. He found them, and crawled out, dust in his hair. Just imagine, Remmie. I'm an uncle!  
I pity the child, Remus said, and laughed at the look on Sirius' face. I'm only kidding.  
You'd better be, Sirius groused, pulling on his leather jacket. Let's Apperate, we'll get there faster.  
  
So Apperate they did. They appeared in the Blacks' living room, and hurried up the stairs to Lyra's room, where everyone else was already gathered, including the midwife, a wizened old witch who had presided over the births of Lyra and Sirius as well. Her name was Madame Koume, and her wrinkled face lit up when Sirius entered the room.  
So here's the uncle! she croaked. My, you've gotten big since I've seen you last. (She had last seen him when he was born - that was almost twenty years ago.)  
H'lo, everyone, Sirius said cheerfully, plunking down at the foot of his sister's bed. All right, sis. Where's my nephew?  
Right here, Lyra said, holding out a bundle of blankets to her brother. Don't drop him, you stupid prat.  
Aw, he'll land on a nice soft bed, Sirius said, and took the baby.  
Stanley looked much more like his father than his mother. He had a fluff of blonde hair and Brad's chiseled, aquiline nose (quite a big nose for such a small kid, Remus reflected), but he also had the same stormy, midnight-blue eyes as his mother and his uncle. The kid looked just as Ken-doll-ish as his father. But as far as Remus could tell, the rest of the family (Sirius included) seemed to think Stanley was just adorable.  
Sirius grinned and tapped the baby's nose. Fascinated, Stanley tried to grab hold of Sirius' finger, but as his depth perception and hand-eye coordination weren't too good yet, he couldn't manage it, and began to scream.  
Okay, okay, back to your mum you go! Sirius yelped, handing Stanley back to Lyra. Gods, that kid is *loud*!  
You were the same way, his mother said fondly. You used to scream just for the sake of hearing yourself scream. She turned to Remus. Remus! Have you ever seen Sirius' baby pictures? They're ever so adorable!  
No, I haven't, Remus grinned.  
And you never will! Sirius yelled. Mum, don't show him! They're embarrassing!  
But you were so cute! Mrs. Black protested. You and your teddy bear -  
Sirius overruled her, and Stanley screamed again. Ooops. Sorry, kid.  
Stanley stopped screaming and gave Sirius a decidedly mischievous look. How much mischief could you get into when you weren't even a day old yet? Sirius wondered, but before he could pursue that thought further, he realized his mother and Remus had vanished. From downstairs he heard Remus laughing, and his mother saying, There's Sirius at two... his grandmother was giving him a bath in the kitchen sink...  
MUM! REMMIE!!! Sirius wailed, and ran downstairs to put a stop to it. But Remus' wild giggles made it all too clear that his mother had reached the diaper-changing section of the photos.....  
  
~December 13 - The Leaky Cauldron~  
  
What's the thrilling news, Jim? Sirius asked, as he and Remus took seats across from James and Lily, who had insisted that they meet in the Leaky Cauldron as soon as possible, because they had thrilling news'. Peter and Grace were there as well, looking equally curious.   
James's cheeks were faintly pink. Well.... Lily and I... we went to the doctor awhile ago. And... well...   
I'm pregnant, Lily cut in, her eyes shining.  
There was a stunned silence for a few seconds. Then Sirius threw back his head and let out a yell that scared half the pub's patrons, and seized both James and Lily into one of his trademark bear hugs. Grace burst into tears of joy and joined in on the hug too, and Remus and Peter managed to hug and kiss James and Lily as well. When their excitement had been put under control (the landlord, Tom, was watching them warily from behind the bar, looking as though he wanted to put a Muting Charm on them), Sirius ordered drinks for them all (Lily and Grace took hot chocolate instead of liquor) and toasted his friends.  
To Jim, Lil, and the kid, he said, grinning. Hopefully it'll be as much of a hell-raiser as its old man.  
I'll drink to that, James laughed. And Siri drinks to anything.  
Shut up, his best friend replied cheerfully. How long have you known and kept it a secret?  
Since the end of October, Lily said.  
That's so lovely, Grace sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with her hanky. You're so lucky.  
I sincerely hope the kid's nothing like my nephew, Sirius said. I love him, but he is *evil*.  
How can a one-month-old kid be evil? Peter asked him skeptically.  
He is! Sirius insisted. Tell them, Remmie! Remmie's a witness!  
He spits up and needs changing quite often and won't sleep for more than an hour at a time, Remus told them. So, he's just like every other baby. He's not evil, Siri's just exaggerating.  
No, no! He bites me! It hurts! Sirius said.  
He doesn't even have any teeth! How could it possibly hurt?!  
Sirius grumbled something about insensitive wankers', and Remus shook his head and looked back at Lily. Don't worry. Your child will be an angel, I'm sure.  
I just hope I'm ready for it, James said, finishing his drink. I mean, it's going to be tough... our first kid and all.  
That's why you have countless family members to call on for advice, Grace laughed. At least, that's what all my sisters do. They come running to Mum for help nearly every day.  
And we can leave the kid with Sirius if we need a break, James teased, poking his best friend in the shoulder.  
Yes - but only if Remus is home as well, Lily added, earning herself giggles from the others and a scowl from Sirius.  
I'm not completely hopeless, you know, he said, pretending to be insulted.  
D'you know which end of the baby is up? James giggled.  
Depends. Has it been a good baby or a bad baby?  
  
Oh. Then the head's right way up.  
I don't plan on spanking my child, Lily said firmly. Hitting him or her won't make a whit of difference.  
I suppose you're right, Sirius shrugged. I got spanked all the time, and look how I turned out!  
  
~December 26 - Nice, France~  
  
Remus was sitting up in bed, reading a heavy book on the history of local witchcraft in Nice. Sirius was sleeping beside him, knocked out completely by the nine glasses of wine he had downed the night before. It was nearly nine in the morning but Remus saw no reason to get out of bed; nearly everyone else had downed as much wine as Sirius (Remus and his mother seemed to be the exceptions) and most likely wouldn't be getting up today.   
Remus' grandmother had invited the entire family, including Sirius and Serena's husband Grub (whom Remus was still not entirely comfortable being brothers-in-law with), down to France for Christmas. It had been a well-anticipated visit, as the Lupins hadn't been to France in nearly ten years, and there had been lots of catching-up going on. Remus' grandmother was totally unsurprised to find her grandson had a boyfriend and her granddaughter was married; Remus suspected his aunt and uncle had already given her the news. But it was a relief not to go through all the trouble of telling her himself.   
No, the main problem of the visit was the language barrier. Remus was amazed at how well he could remember French even after so many years of not needing it; but Sirius could only say three things in French- hello, goodbye, and cheese omelette. He could speak fluent German (his mother had taught him), but that was no help. Remus' grandmother was as equally unskilled at English and German as Sirius was at French; and so Remus was appointed the translator. It didn't look like he was doing any translating today; when Sirius drank enough, he was apt to sleep all the way through to the next day. It was good that way, actually. He never had a hangover because he slept right through it.  
  
Almost an hour later, with a yawn, Remus marked his place in the book and got out of bed. His rumbling stomach would allow him to stay in bed no longer. He pawed through his suitcase for his favorite pair of jeans and an old, faded, blue plaid shirt (formerly Sirius', but Remus had ended up making it his own), and headed off into the bathroom for a shower. His grandmother's house was simply vast; each bedroom had its own adjoining bathroom.   
Stifling another yawn, Remus turned the water on as hot as he could take it, undressed, and climbed under the spray. He had just begun to wash his hair when the bathroom door opened, closed, and Sirius peeked blearily around the shower curtain.   
Oh. It's you, Remmie.  
Who else would be showering in our bathroom? Remus asked, rolling his eyes. And it's a good thing it *is* me. Couldn't you have just asked? he inquired as Sirius withdrew his head. How's your head?  
I hate it when you ask me three questions in a row, Sirius yawned, slipping off his boxers and brushing the shower curtain aside again. Push over.  
Can't I ever take a shower in peace? Remus sighed to himself; but three hours later, sprawled out on the bed with Sirius beside him, he had to admit he didn't mind the company. Despite the fact he now had to take another shower.  
  
Sigh.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena shrieked, tumbling headfirst into the snow as she tripped over Gill's leg. Gill, you jerk!  
I didn't try to trip you up on purpose, Gill said, helping her up, and yelping in surprise as a snowball, thrown by Grub, hit him in the back of the neck. That's COLD!  
What did you expect it to be? Sirius asked, throwing a snowball at Grub and expertly dodging another thrown by Henri (whose main mission in life, ever since last year it seemed, was to bug his brother's boyfriend whenever possible).   
Gill stuck his tongue out at Sirius and scooped his sister up. Sometimes I wonder what asylum you escaped from, Black.  
Aww, shut up, Sirius said, dodging another snowball and lobbing one back at Henri. Take *that*, minou.  
Remus was sheltered behind a tree, watching the snowball fight and giggling, but he didn't join in. Grub was quite fond of throwing ice-balls, and he could throw hard and fast. A snowball fight with Grub Jointly usually meant losing a fair amount of blood. It wasn't pleasant. But he couldn't resist throwing a snowball at Sirius once in a while. He did so just then.  
Don't think I don't know who's throwing those, Remmie! Sirius yelled over his shoulder, and yelped as Henri and Grub hit him at the same time. It's sabotage! Everyone's against me!  
Remus giggled again and would have gone to help despite Grub and the ice-balls, but at that moment his owl, Rose, fluttered down onto his shoulder with a note bound to her leg.  
H'lo, Rose! Remus said in surprise, stroking her and taking the letter from her. It was from Lily.  
  
-_Dear Remmie (and Siri if you're not sleeping off a hangover),  
Remember Grace telling us last year that Peter's been acting strange? Well, I think it's getting worse for her. Just yesterday she was telling me Peter's still vanishing for hours at a time, and he seems to be acting *very* strangely... talking to people who aren't there, being quite secretive, jumping at small noises... D'you think something could be wrong? Jim and I can't think of a single thing to explain his behavior. It worries me a bit. And I think Grace might be having second thoughts about marrying Peter.... well, tell me if you have any ideas....  
Hope you're having fun in France, and the baby's doing fine so far!  
Love,   
Lil-_  
  
Remus shook his head and carefully tucked the letter into his pocket. He was beginning to get worried about Peter as well.   
What's wrong, love? Sirius asked, coming up behind him and giving him a hug.   
I don't know. That's the problem.  
  
~December 29 - Hogwarts~  
  
Albus Dumbledore paced around his study, his brow furrowed in thought. His pet phoenix, Fawkes, watched him in concern as the headmaster sat down behind his desk and sighed. Things were not going so well these days. For quite a while now, a powerful, ambitious Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, had been growing in power. It seemed he wanted to purge the world of all but pure-blood wizards, and Dumbledore knew he had a score of followers, the Death Eaters, who rallied behind him and would do anything to aid Voldemort's cause.  
But the more serious problem in Dumbledore's mind right now concerned the Potters. Dumbledore knew very well that James and Lily were two of the very best witches and wizards Hogwarts had ever turned out, and he also knew Voldemort was keen to get their powers on his side. But James and Lily were too close to Dumbledore to ever consider going over to the Dark Side.   
Dumbledore got up and went over to Fawkes' perch. He stroked his pet, thinking deeply. Voldemort would stop at nothing to either recruit the Potters, or have them killed. What was to be done?   
He looked out his window at the cold winter sunset. What to do?..... Every day, more people became hypnotized and enchanted by Voldemort or his followers, and it was difficult to tell who was being honest and who was being controlled......  
  
~January 19 - London College of Advanced Magical Study~  
  
So you see, a vampire's aversion to garlic is more of an allergy than a fear..... its sharp scent can be sensed by a vampire from several miles away.....  
Remus scribbled madly as Professor Brown droned on. The mid-term examinations were fast approaching, and he wanted to have his notes as exact as possible for his studying.  
The bell rang for break and Remus packed up his things, then headed outside. He had a few errands to run today, and it was best to take care of them now. He didn't want Sirius finding out what he was up to, because he was making plans for Sirius' birthday, which was coming up in about two weeks. It was a tad early to do anything, but Remus was a firm believer in being prepared. And his first errand brought him to a stationary store, where he browsed around until he found invitations. Then came the hard part, for which he was grateful for having two weeks to do it. He had to pick out a birthday card.  
This was always hard. In the past, Remus, James, and Peter had always gotten Sirius the funniest cards they could find (most of James' were a little risque, and he and Sirius would chuckle over it for months afterwards and tell it to anyone who would listen), but Remus was not sure that joke cards were appropriate to give your significant other, especially when he was so important to you. But on the other hand, he didn't want too sound mushy and flowery and girly, because Sirius would not be happy about that either. And so, picking a card was *hard work*.  
  
He glanced at his watch and saw he didn't have much time left. He'd have to try this again tomorrow. He paid for his invitations and headed back up to the college. On the way, he was waylaid by Snape.  
Hello, Severus, Remus said warily.  
Hello, Lupin, Snape said stiffly, falling in step with him (to Remus' displeasure). He noticed the paper bag tucked into a pocket of Remus' schoolbag. What's that?  
Remus said evasively. I'm getting ready for Sirius' birthday.  
Snape winced mentally at the implications of this, but merely replied, I see. When is this honorable' occasion?  
Remus frowned at the sarcasm in Snape's voice, but didn't comment on it. January thirtieth.  
Snape said as they climbed the front steps of the school. And I suppose you're having a party.  
What's wrong with that? Remus sighed. Why do you always act like Sirius has no goal in life except to try and murder you?  
He *did* try to murder me, if I might remind you, Snape growled softly.  
He did not. You were the one stupid enough to listen to him -  
I'm the stupid one? He was daft to even mention it in the first place -  
He didn't mean to, you were the one provoking him!  
They realized they had been standing almost nose-to-nose and shouting. People were staring at them. Remus shook his head and lowered his voice. Severus, it was an accident. Just let it go.  
Snape glared at him, but Remus ignored the look and headed to his next class.   
  
~January 30 - Sirius' 20th birthday~  
  
Wake up, love. Happy birthday.  
Sirius opened one eye to see Remus smiling down at him and playing with his hair.  
he grumbled, pulling the blankets up further. Remmie, I'm not ready to get up yet.  
Sure you are. It's half-past nine.  
No, I'm not. I -aaah! Sirius gasped as Remus ran a rather mischievous hand lightly over his thigh. Okay. So I *am* ready to get up.  
Remus giggled at the unintentional double-entendre of that sentence. Good. And just so you know, your party starts at two.  
Remmie, that's four hours away. There's nothing lovers can do that can take four hours - he gasped again as Remus nibbled at his earlobe. Er - I stand corrected. Perhaps we'll need more than that......  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, they could have gone over their time limit, but Remus insisted they get out of bed at twelve.   
We still have showers to take, and food to put out, and music to choose -which you didn't do *last* night like I asked - and we should try to neaten up this pigsty at least a little....  
Sirius sighed and reluctantly climbed out of bed. Okay, I'm getting up. I'm not happy about it, but I'm getting up.  
  
The time they had before the party whizzed by - it seemed to Remus he had only just gotten out of bed when James and Lily Apperated into the living room.   
Happy birthday, Siri, James grinned, as Lily gave Sirius a birthday kiss. The big two-oh! You're getting up there, old man!  
Eh, shut up sonny, or I'll whack you with my cane, Sirius grumbled.   
I brought deviled eggs, Lily announced. Where do I put them, Remmie?  
Oh, here, and would you mind giving me a hand with the rest of this?  
Not at all, Lily said, handing her coat to James and going to help Remus.  
There were two more *pop!* noises as Peter and Grace Apperated just then. Happy birthday, Siri, they chorused, and Grace went to give Remus and Lily a hand. Sirius lugged the coats into the guest room (it was closer) and tossed the coats on the bed, then went back into the other room and beckoned to James and Peter.   
Jim, Pete, your assistance, please, he said, leading them over to the stereo cabinet. He knelt and opened the doors, revealing a very large record collection. James knelt beside him and began picking through the titles.   
Honestly, Siri, I think you're the only male in the *world* who has all the Beatles' albums, he said, shaking his head.   
Sirius pretended to be insulted. Whatever's wrong with that?   
Nothing. It's just weird.  
Sirius shook his head and plucked Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road from the row of Beatles. Well, we're having Beatles at my party. What else?  
James responded, plucking Breakfast In America from the shelf. And..... Elton John?!   
Not mine! Sirius said.   
Moony! You listen to *Elton John*?! James wailed as Remus entered the room, balancing teetering stacks of plastic cups.   
Yes, I do! Remus said, blushing. What's wrong with that?  
Nothing, if you like piano-playing poufs, James said, rolling his eyes and sliding Elton back into the cabinet.   
I decree we must have Sabbath, Sirius said, plucking Black Sabbath's Master of Reality and out of the collection.   
I want the Moody Blues and the Bee Gees, Peter said, adding a few more records to the pile.  
  
Choosing records was a hard thing, as it turned out. They ended up with half of Sirius' collection piled on the floor, and James had Apperated home to fetch some of his own albums.  
We don't need that much! Remus protested, as he and Lily separated the plastic cutlery into separate plies. It's only a birthday party, not a week-long coronation celebration, or something like that!  
But it's my birthday and I need my very favorite songs, Sirius said sweetly, adding three Brian Slade albums to his pile.  
Rolling Stones, James said, Apperating back and flipping through the pile of records in his arms. Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden -  
I'm going to have a headache tonight, Remus sighed, mentally cursing whatever gods had given his friends and lover an insatiable taste for loud heavy-metal music.   
  
Sirius and James had finally been persuaded to narrow their choices down, and were putting the extra records away, when the doorbell rang. Remus yelped and ran for the door. They're here!  
The first few guests had arrived. It was Rose McDougall, formerly of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and her boyfriend Augustus Periwinkle; and Chad Jones, a friend of James', and his date - Bertha Jorkins. Both Sirius and Remus gulped and thanked their lucky stars they had neatened the place up before Bertha arrived; they could see her looking round the room, taking stock of everything. It was all certain to join the gossip pool tomorrow, Remus was sure.  
Right on Chad and Bertha's heels came Sara Josephson and Izzy Jordan, and Remus hurried to start showing everyone where to put the presents and food they had brought, while Sirius dashed to the guest room, dropping coats and purses on the bed, and hurrying back to the door to welcome more guests. Lily's friend Debbie Johnston arrived with her date, Joe Smith (captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team for the first few years James had been on the team) and Joe's younger brother John, who happened to be bringing Jane Goodwind.   
Jim! The music! Sirius called, running off to the guest room with more coats. James saluted, marched over to the record player, and put on Abbey Road.   
Over the next fifteen minutes, the guests arrived in dribs and drabs. Most were friends of Sirius' and Remus' who'd been in their year at school, or on the Quidditch teams, though a few of them brought dates (some of whom were Muggles. Remus was glad there wasn't anything magical lying around).   
Through it all, Bertha Jorkins prowled through the living room and kitchen, poking around to see exactly what Sirius and Remus' house was like. She often tried to sneak down the hallway to get to the master bedroom (who knows what she was looking for - ecchi!), but after being caught several times and reminded that all the rooms down the hall except the bathroom was off-limits, she remained by Chad Jones' side, looking sulky. Remus tried not to giggle at the sight of her face. She was obviously very irritated about not finding out all the juicy details' that came with two wizards living together.  
  
Bertha just seemed to be summoning up her courage to chance another dash down the hall when Remus called, Time for the cake! Come on, gather round!  
Remus and Lily hoisted the rather large chocolate sheet cake up to the table. They had put trick candles on it (the kind that always relight themselves), lit in the kitchen with a quick Incendio Charm when no one else was around.   
Go ahead, love, make a wish, Remus said. Sirius closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then held his hair out of the way and blew out the candles, which immediately relit themselves. Sirius rolled his eyes and blew them out again, and they all sniggered when the candles relit themselves a second time. Giggling, Remus and Lily carefully plucked the candles from the cake and dropped them into a cup of water. Sirius cut the cake and once everyone was served, he and Remus tried to feed each other, which didn't go too well, as Remus started giggling and couldn't hold still, the result being they had chocolate all over their faces.  
A disaster, James teased them. You can't even feed each other right.  
Izzy Jordan sniggered, If you two got married and had to do it again. In front of your parents.  
Aww, shut up, Sirius grumbled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The party lasted until nearly two in the morning, until the food ran out and everyone was exhausted from dancing. After seeing the last guests out, Sirius and Remus collapsed onto the crumb-strewn couch and breathed identical sighs of relief.   
Have a nice birthday, love? Remus asked.  
Yes, very nice, Sirius said sleepily, planting a sloppy, alcohol-tasting kiss on Remus' lips. Thank you, precious.  
We'll have a spot of cleaning to do tommo- er, later today, Remus yawned as they got up and straggled down the hall to their bedroom.   
Grah. Don't remind me, Sirius said, pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor.   
You're only *contributing* to the mess, Remus pointed out as Sirius' jeans joined his shirt.  
I know. Don't care, Sirius said. It's my birthday and -  
Remus said warningly. Don't you *dare*. You know I hate that song!  
All right.........  
  
~February 9 - Chronos~  
  
Where is he? Lily asked, craning her neck to try and catch a glimpse of the door. It's not like Peter to be this late.  
I'm going to go see if he's home, Grace said nervously, throwing down her napkin and getting up. Does Setsuna allow fireplace calls?  
Yeah, but you've gotta ask her first, James said. She's got it set up in her apartment over the place.  
All right, I'll be right back, Grace said, hurrying away. James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus exchanged glances.  
You know, I'm starting to get a little worried, James said slowly. Pete's been acting strangely ever since we left Hogwarts - strange for *him*, I mean. What d'you suppose he's up to?  
If we knew, there wouldn't be a problem, now would there? Sirius sighed, picking at his roast beef.  
Grace came hurrying back, looking harassed.   
His mother says he's not home! she said, flopping back into her chair with a sigh. I *wish* I knew what he was up to. With things being the way they are and all...  
The other nodded in glum agreement. They knew all too well about Voldemort and his followers, and the problems it was causing for the Ministry. All in all, life had become rather depressing these days.  
Their worry steadily increased until Peter finally arrived, almost an hour late, out of breath and looking quite pale. He waved off their anxious inquiries, saying, It's nothing, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Let me see a menu, I'm rather hungry....  
Grace wrung her napkin nervously between her hands. But Peter... we were so worried... I mean, you could have been in trouble...  
As Grace said that, Remus fancied he could see a rather frightened sort of look in Peter's eyes, as if Grace had rightly guessed what was wrong. But a second later, he was sure he had imagined it, because Peter just smiled and shook his head.  
Really, dear, I'm fine, he insisted. It's nothing to be upset over, trust me....  
  
~February 28 - London College of Advanced Magical Study~  
  
K.... L.... M...... ah. Magical Creatures of The Fifteenth Century', Remus murmured, pulling a heavy book down from the shelf. He opened it and scanned the index quickly, then nodded, satisfied. The information he would be needing for his essay paper on dragon breeders was in here. He lugged the heavy tome back to the table he was working at. Just as he flipped to the page he needed, an all-too-familiar voice asked, Might I sit here, Lupin?  
Yes, Severus, Remus sighed, shifting his books and rolls of parchment around so Snape would have some room. He went back to his work, hoping Snape wouldn't want to start up a conversation. Conversations with Snape were not all that enjoyable.  
  
Wishes don't come true as often as we'd like to believe.  
  
You're serious, are you? Snape asked.  
Remus paused in his writing and looked up, frowning. I beg your pardon?  
Snape pointed to Remus' left hand, which gripped his quill. His golden promise ring glittered in the early-afternoon sun slanting through the high windows. You're serious about this? Marrying Black and being a timid schoolmarm all your life? How do you sleep at night, I wonder, lying next to a murderer?  
You're not still on about him, are you? Remus asked in disgust. Severus, what does it take to make you *see*? Sirius is *not* a murderer - he never meant for anything to happen to you. It's in the past! Why can't you just forget it?  
Because I can't stand to see you waste your life on *him*! Snape hissed, and glanced around quickly to be sure they were unobserved. They were the only people on this side of the library, so he barreled on. I can't stand to see you with someone as worthless, as dense, as - he struggled to find the words he wanted. As - as - *uncouth* as Black. You deserve someone better! Don't you know that?!  
Remus had lost his interest in his essay entirely. Just what are you saying? he demanded.   
I'm telling you I still love you, and I want you to be with me, Snape said softly, a desperate look in his eyes. Please, Remus, I -  
With a shake of the head, Remus held up a hand to silence him.  
Severus, I don't think you understand, he said quietly. Listen to me. I know you know what I am. And surely you must know- his voice dropped even more - -that a werewolf mates for life. I *can't* leave Sirius. He and I have been mated for almost two years now. I love him more than anyone or anything else on this planet, and I can't let go of him. And I know Sirius loves me just as deeply. You have to *see* that, Severus. He and I are together for... for eternity. And nothing - nobody - can change that. He quickly gathered up his work, feeling a twinge of guilt at having to be so blunt, but knowing it was the only way to get his point across. He stood up and shouldered his bag. Goodbye, Severus, he said, even more quietly, and hurried out of the library.  
  
Snape stayed where he was for a very long time afterwards, not doing anything, just sitting with his head in his hands. He completely ignored the curious looks of the students who occasionally drifted over to browse through the shelves. Lupin's comments had hit home, to be sure. Why couldn't I have seen it coming?' Snape thought bitterly to himself. A part of his mind berated him for being so stupid; he knew perfectly well what happened once the werewolf chose its mate; he had read up on werewolves until he knew more about them than any other Dark creature, at one time hoping he would need the knowledge to help him enjoy a long life together with Lupin. But now that dream was shattered; like so many other things in life - having a proper father, for one, - it was gone forever.  
Slowly, Snape got up from the table, not noticing that nearly three hours had passed since Lupin left. The librarian looked up as he left, the last student to go, and was frightened by the look on his face.  
It wasn't sadness or jealousy or angst. It wasn't even precisely anger.  
  
It was pure rage and rising hatred.  
  
~April 5 - the Potters' house~  
  
You what? Lily asked, flabbergasted.  
I - I - I called off t-the engagement, Grace sniffled, then burst into another flood of tears.  
James asked her, alarmed. He had never seen Grace so distressed. Actually, no one ever had. Grace was normally a very cheerful, upbeat girl. This storm of misery was completely unlike her - as unlike her as Peter's strange behavior was unlike him.  
I can't marry him, Grace sniffed, after getting herself under some semblance of control. I really can't. Lately, it's been such a strain on me. Even my parents aren't too fond of him. They used to love Peter - but now they get very wary whenever someone as much as mentions his name. And I really will not abide being married to him, and sitting up every night, worried sick, waiting for him to come home. I just couldn't do it! I won't!  
She started crying again, and Lily hugged her tightly (if a tad awkwardly; her big belly made hugging people unusually difficult). Grace lifted her face imploringly to James, Sirius, and Remus.  
It's too late to try and save our relationship. But would you talk to him? The lot of you? You're his closest friends. He'll listen to you. He'll tell you anything, won't he? Would you please try to find out what's wrong? Just so I know if it's - drugs, or a-a-another woman, or - or - s-something else.  
Of course we will, dear, Sirius murmured, kissing her forehead. We'll go find him right now.  
We'll try and talk some sense in him, James promised as the three men rose and put on their cloaks. We might not be able to save your romance, but perhaps your friendship will escape unscathed.  
Thank you, Grace whispered tearfully. They kissed her once each, and Apperated to the Pettigrews' home.  
  
Neither Peter or his family seemed to be home when they arrived. James poked around the first floor, Remus went upstairs, and Sirius headed for the back garden, calling Peter and his parents the whole time.  
Remus asked, knocking on Peter's bedroom door. There was no reply, so he opened the door and looked around. The room was spotlessly neat (Mrs. Pettigrew was a fanatic when it came to cleaning) and empty.  
Pete? Mr. Pettigrew? James called, peeking into the den. Nobody there but Peter's father's collection of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans boxes (it was a collection of boxes dating back almost a hundred years; James couldn't see why anyone would *want* really old boxes of Every Flavor Beans, but to each his own, he supposed).  
Mrs. Pettigrew? Aunt Helga? Sirius asked, going into the greenhouse. Nobody there. He bent down to peek under the benches (though it seemed highly unlikely Peter or his family would be under there). With a sigh, he straightened up and headed back into the house, and joined Remus and James, who were waiting in the living room.  
I take it you didn't find anyone, Sirius sighed when he saw them.   
James said, running a hand through his unruly hair.   
Where could they be? Remus sighed unhappily. Pete always tells us if they go anywhere; it's like they vanished or something.  
I hate to go back to Grace and tell her we can't find Pete, Sirius said, nervously biting his bottom lip. It'll only worry her more, you know.  
But then what are- James began, but the sound of a door opening and closing upstairs cut him off. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Peter appeared. He stopped in surprise.  
Er - hello, guys. What are you doing here? Peter asked.  
Now this wasn't right. Remus had checked *all* the rooms upstairs - all of them! - and there had been no one there, unless Peter had been hiding in the laundry chute or something.   
Actually, we're looking for you, Sirius said, looking as confused as Remus felt.  
We've been calling you, mate. Where've you been? James asked curiously.  
Right upstairs, Peter said, but it was a lie; Remus could see it in Peter's eyes, and besides, he had *checked* up there less than ten minutes ago. No one could have gotten past them without being seen, either - unless they Apperated directly to the second floor.  
By the looks James and Sirius were giving each other, Remus knew they realized this as well. But no one made a mention of it. James just shrugged and changed tack. I think we all need to have a talk, Pete.  
We do? Peter asked, and for a moment, Remus thought he caught a shred of pure fear in his friend's eyes. No, it couldn't be. What would Peter have to hide from his best friends?   
It's about Grace, Sirius said sternly. Pete, d'you know what you're *doing* to her?  
Where is she now? Peter asked anxiously, ignoring Sirius' question.  
At home with Lil, crying her eyes out, poor thing, James said, as he and Sirius seized Peter by his upper arms and steered him over to the couch. They sat him down and seated themselves on each side of him (Remus was left to try and make himself as comfortable as possible in Aunt Helga's horrid rocking chair with the lumpy cushion).   
What's this we hear about Grace breaking off your engagement? James began.  
Peter shifted uncomfortably. Well, I - er, well, she's been awfully upset lately and I don't know why -  
You know perfectly well why! Sirius said loudly, but lowered his voice at the look on Peter's face. Sorry, Pete. But you've got to talk with Grace. Tell her what's going on. Hell, I'd like to know what's going on, myself.  
He's right, Remus spoke up. It's really bad for her, Pete. The least you can do is tell her what you're up to. What is it, anyway?  
  
Peter didn't answer right away. They waited, exchanging glances over Peter's bowed head. Remus was about to repeat his question when Peter said softly, It's nothing, really. Absolutely nothing. I - I just don't think I'm - I'm ready to - you know, get married. I love Grace and all, but I don't know what it will be like to be married to her for the rest of my life....  
Well, a plausible excuse. Remus could understand what Peter was getting at - he loved Grace, but wasn't *in love* with her. Remus supposed that was the first clue that a relationship was falling apart. And all this secrecy... perhaps... perhaps he really did have another girlfriend on the side. It was a sad idea, but things like this happened.  
He could tell just by looking at James and Sirius that they didn't fully believe this explanation; but try as they might, they couldn't get anything else out of Peter. After about fifteen minutes of further interrogation, James shook his head, and he, Remus, and Sirius stood.  
All right, Pete, James said, sounding a trifle sad and more than a little disappointed. If you don't want to tell us, it's okay... but remember to talk to Grace, all right? She really cares for you, and this is killing her.  
Okay, Jim, Peter said softly. I promise.   
  
~May 14 - Dumbledore's office~  
  
Dumbledore put down the letter he had been reading. He rubbed gingerly at his temples, where he could feel a rather large headache coming on.   
The letter was from one of the people he had spying on Lord Voldemort - a very useful, honest person. (I don't need to mention their name here, but if I did, you'd know it.) According to this letter, Voldemort was becoming steadily more powerful by the day, and he was determined to either force James and Lily Potter over to the Dark Side, or kill them in the attempt. This did not bode well with Dumbledore, who was beginning to realize the options were severely limited. And to make matters worse, his spy had informed him that Voldemort was getting quite a lot of information on the Potters - more than he could have gotten without help. This increased Dumbledore's worries. There was only one possibility there - someone, someone *very* close to James and Lily, was acting as an informant for Voldemort. But the question was, who? Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were the Potters' closest friends, so it must be one of them. But Dumbledore really could not guess which one. Sirius was James' oldest, best friend and fiercely loyal; Remus adored both James and Lily, and since he lived with Sirius it was hard to believe he could hide something like this from James' most trusted friend; and Peter looked up to James like a big brother, someone who had always protected and defended him.  
Fawkes fluttered down from his perch to sit on his master's knee, cooing softly. Dumbledore absently stroked the bird's crimson head, thinking deeply. He touched his wand to his head and began extracting thoughts one by one, and placing them in the Pensieve, which sat before him on his desk.  
  
~June 28 - Serena's Graduation Day - Hogwarts~  
  
I'm so proud of you, darling! Mrs. Lupin sobbed onto her daughter's shoulder. Oh, my babies are growing up so fast!  
Sirius sniggered appreciatively as Serena, Remus, Henri, and Gill blushed simultaneously.   
they all said in unison, and blushed even deeper. Sirius sniggered again, but cut himself off with a yelp of surprise and pain.  
he scolded, looking down rather sternly at his nephew (Lyra and Brad claimed they needed a vacation and had dumped Stanley on Sirius that morning, over his arguments he had a graduation to go to), who smiled sunnily up at him. How many times do I have to tell you - you don't bite Uncle Siri! He doesn't like it!  
Stanley just giggled and blurbled happily. Sirius rolled his eyes and dumped the baby into Remus' arms. Hold the kid. He thinks I'm a chew toy or something.  
He's not that bad, Remus said, touching his nose to Stanley's and smiling when the baby giggled. See, he's not biting me.  
Sirius grumbled, and shot a look at Grub, who was chuckling by Serena's side. At that same moment, Serena waved wildly and called out to some of her giggly friends, who dragged their parents over to talk. After some introductions, Remus and Sirius wandered away before all that giggling could give them headaches.  
Remus switched Stanley to his other hip as they reached the Quidditch field. I don't see what you think is so bad with Stanny, he said. He doesn't bite me.  
Because you don't look like a sweet to him, I suppose, Sirius grumbled (Stanley seemed to be awed by Sirius' skin, tanned a lovely caramel-gold colour - though Remus seriously doubted it was the same interest he had in it himself).  
Don't complain, Remus teased. You know you don't mind. His voice softened. You make a wonderful uncle. And you're going to be a wonderful godfather, I know it.  
James and Lily had asked Sirius not long ago if he would be their baby's godfather; the baby was due in early August. Sirius had been quite flattered and accepted without a pause, but he was nervous about it. He smiled at Remus. You really think so?  
I know so, Remus said, and leaned up to kiss Sirius, who was already bending down to kiss him, so they ended up meeting halfway. It was a lovely kiss, interrupted only by Stanley, who squirmed and whined in protest at being squished between his uncles. Sirius laughed, took Stanley from Remus, sat him on his shoulders, and kissed his lover again, his worries lessened now.  
You're going to be just fine, Remus said after they broke the kiss. He took Sirius' hand and squeezed it. Maybe... someday... you'll be a father, too. He blushed when he said it, knowing it was only a dim possibility (the magic that could help them have a child of their own was quite difficult and risky and very, very few people dared to try it), but Sirius smiled and put his arm around him.  
You're good at cheering me up, Remmie, he said.   
You're very welcome, Remus said, and they headed back to join the rest of the family, unaware that they were being observed by Dumbledore's calm blue gaze as they crossed the lawn.  


  
To Be Continued.....  


  
(Coming Soon : Year 10, the third Post-Hogwarts year! Sadly, all the treason and lies and deaths and all the other unlovely things we don't want to hear about will happen in this chapter. Suspicion worms its way into Sirius and Remus' relationship, and Snapey becomes even stranger and more mysterious. But on the happier side, James and Lily become parents, and Sirius becomes a godfather!)  



	10. Year 10, PostHogwarts 3 The New Arrival

Disclaimer: See the first chapter....  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash!   
  
Note: Yes, yes! I *KNOW* the years are wrong! I'm sorry! I won't do it again!  
  
Credits: My eternal gratitude, Kudos and love to my mum, who came up with the name of Remus' lab partner for me. I hate making up names, I'm so glad she came up with a good one.  
  
First Appearances: Jim's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Known here as Grampa and Gramma.  
  
*SPOILER WARNING*: Actually the very first line (Sirius' quote) is a huge spoiler for PoA, and more comes later. But if you've read this far in the story, you have obviously read PoA and *know* who the guilty party is. If you *still* don't know by now, shame on you! :P   
  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Year 10 - The New Arrival  
  
  
What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!  
-Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, pg. 375  
  
  
  
~July 31, 1984~  
  
You're going to get us killed! Remus shouted in Sirius' ear, trying to make himself heard over the roar of the motorcycle's engine.  
No I won't! Sirius shouted back, swerving around a station wagon.   
If we end up dead I'm never speaking to you again! Remus yelled.  
Trust me, I know what I'm doing! Sirius yelled, narrowly cutting off a fruit truck. The truck driver blared on his horn, and Sirius jabbed his middle finger back at the driver without a pause.  
Keep both your hands on the handlebars! Remus shrieked.  
Honestly, you're worse than my mum! Sirius bellowed, turning down the exit to the hospital. They skidded to a stop in the parking lot and dismounted the bike (Remus on wobbly legs) and hurried inside.   
Just beyond the door to the chapel on the first floor was a door marked Danger, Keep Out!'. After a quick check to see no one was around, they ducked inside and hurried down a short, dim corridor, at the end of which was a stretch of plain brick wall. Remus and Sirius paid no heed to the solid brick and walked through the wall.  
They appeared in the waiting room of the hidden wing of the hospital used by London's magical community. They approached the receptionist, a lovely young girl who eyed them both with interest as Sirius asked for the room they wanted.  
The receptionist ruffled through a sheaf of papers. Mrs. Potter? Room 204, upstairs and just to your left.  
Sirius thanked her and they hurried upstairs. Room 204's door was open, and they could see Lily sitting up in the bed, holding a bundle of blankets, and James sitting in a chair beside the bed. Sirius knocked on the doorframe.  
Lily looked up with a wide smile when she saw who it was. Siri, Remmie, come in and see the baby!  
Well, I didn't come here just to admire the decor, Sirius teased as he and Remus entered.  
Aww, come on, it's so inspired, James teased back.  
It's not so bad, I've seen uglier hospitals, Lily said. Pull up a rock, she invited Sirius and Remus, who were now faced with the horrors of sitting in the terribly uncomfortable hospital chairs. Once they had gotten as comfortable as possible, Lily held the bundle out to Sirius. Guys, meet Harry Potter.  
  
Harry was a tiny, yet chubby baby. He had a swatch of black hair, and he looked exactly like James. As soon as Sirius settled Harry in his arms, Harry opened his eyes, which were the same brilliant green as Lily's. Harry goggled up at the two men smiling down at him, apparently wondering what had happened to his parents. But he didn't cry or scream. Instead he tilted his head to the side and looked from Sirius to Remus and back.  
He's beautiful, Sirius said, a hint of awe in his voice. Too bad he's going to end up looking just like you, Jim.  
James scowled at him, but Sirius just grinned back at him. I was kidding, Prongs. Can't you take a joke?  
Harry, meanwhile, had discovered something new. The man holding him had very long hair. It was almost as long as his mother's. Harry stared at in fascination. It was the glossiest, shiniest thing he had ever seen (short as his life was), and it intrigued him. Was it as soft as his blanket? He'd have to see.  
He stretched out a chubby fist, seized a handful of that lovely, silky thing, and pulled.  
  
Sirius yelped. Harry, no! OUCH! Harry! Stop pulling my hair!  
Oh, Harry, no! Lily said, but she was giggling.  
Remus gently pried Harry's fingers open. No, no, Harry, that's not for pulling.  
whimpered Sirius. He handed Harry to Remus and began hunting in the pockets of his jacket for a rubber band. I suppose I'd better tie my hair back around him.  
Harry looked up at the new man holding him. This man didn't have long hair. His was a honey-gold colour, short but shaggy, with hints of silver in it. It wasn't as fascinating as the other man's hair. But this man was wearing a sweatshirt, and the hood's drawstring dangled temptingly over Harry's head. He made a grab for it, missed, tried again. He missed again. He frowned in concentration, and the man laughed gently.  
  
He's a smart one, Remus said, tapping Harry's nose and smiling back at the baby, who gurgled happily and grabbed hold of Remus' finger.   
Too smart, Sirius said, still massaging his head. Nearly scalped me.  
Oh, buck up, James laughed. You're a wimp, Siri.  
Aww, shut up. Carefully making sure his ponytail was out of reach, Sirius leaned over Harry and kissed his forehead. Good to know you, kid.  
Harry frowned at him, disappointed. Where had that lovely, soft black thing gone? He had liked it a lot, but apparently the man hadn't liked it when he tried to play with it. Then Harry's eye caught another interesting object. A glittery silver thing, hanging from the man's ear. What was that? He looked closely at it. It was even more interesting than the black thing. Would the man mind if he tried to play with this?   
Sirius saw Harry's hand making a grab for his earring out of the corner of his eye, and sat up quickly. Too quickly, in fact, and the chair toppled over backwards with Sirius still in it. The crash startled Harry, and he began to cry. Remus hastily gave him back to his mother, who kissed his forehead and rocked him. Harry stopped crying almost immediately.  
Sirius whined from the floor. This is just not my day.  
You're dangerous, Harry, Remus said to the baby.  
Harry gave him a puzzled look, as if to say, Who, me?, making the grown-ups laugh, even Sirius, who was struggling to get out from under the evil chair, which had flipped over at the last second and pinned him under it.  
You know, I hate hospitals, Sirius said, disentangling himself from the chair and setting it upright. How long d'you plan on staying here, Lil? I'd rather fawn over Harry in _casa_ Potter than in this horrid place.  
Three days at the most, Lily said. But the doctor says we're doing well enough to leave sooner than that, if we want.  
Sounds good, said Remus, and an idea popped into his head. He filed it away for future reference, and said to Harry, You're lucky we even made it here, Harry.  
You drove that deathtrap here? Lily asked, horrified, looking rather sternly at Sirius. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
Please, Lil! My bike is *not* a deathtrap! And we were perfectly safe!  
We almost got hit by a truck! Remus interrupted. And Siri nearly sideswiped a station wagon full of children -  
Oh, I didn't even come close!  
  
James and Lily exchanged amused glances as Sirius and Remus bickered. Sometimes, James reflected, watching his son (who was watching Sirius and Remus avidly), those two were like an old married couple....  
  
~August 2 - the Potters'~  
  
Ow! Watch it! Sirius whined as Peter dropped the end of the crib, causing it to fall on Sirius' foot.  
Peter apologized hastily, picking his end up once more and allowing Sirius to get a better grip on the other side.  
Sirius scowled at him and blew a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. Let's try again, shall we? One - two - three!  
He and Peter lifted Harry's crib and staggered down the hall with it. There was a bad moment when it looked like they weren't going to be able to squeeze it through the door of Harry's bedroom, but they managed it in the end, and set it down in the middle of the room, panting. Grace and Remus entered behind them, shaking their heads.   
You know, it would have been ever so much more intelligent to bring the *pieces* in and put the crib together right here, Grace pointed out.  
And easier on yourselves to use *magic* to lift it in the first place, Remus said. Peter and Sirius scowled at them, but Remus smiled and went to put his arms around Sirius. Lighten up. File it away for future reference, then. It looks lovely.  
Jim and Lil will be so surprised, Grace said happily, checking her watch. We'd better hurry up and get the rocking chair and changing table in here, before they get home. They should be back any minute...  
  
James and Lily were bringing Harry home that very day, despite the fact that James had had no time at all to put together Harry's crib and move it and all Harry's other furniture into his room. This had occurred to Remus on the day Harry had been born, and as soon as he and Sirius had gotten home that night, he had sent Rose and Oberon off with letters for Grace and Peter, asking them to come and help himself and Sirius set Harry's things up. Make it easier on Jim and Lil, he had written. Surprisingly enough, they had both agreed, even though they hadn't talked to each other ever since Grace had called off their engagement last year. It had been a little awkward at first, but an hour later, everyone was at perfect ease. And for once, Peter wasn't behaving strangely. It was almost like being at Hogwarts again, Remus thought.  
  
Twenty minutes later, everything was set up, the lunch made, and they were all sitting on the front porch, waiting for the Potters to arrive.  
Where could they be? Grace wondered aloud just as Remus was thinking the same thing.  
shrugged Sirius. Maybe the traffic's bad in London, or something... don't forget, Jim drives like an old woman.  
You say that about everyone who doesn't drive as recklessly as you, Grace sniggered.  
Oh, be quiet, grumbled Sirius. Have you ever driven with Remmie?  
Remus had decided it was time for him, at twenty, to learn how to drive. It was, he argued over the protests of his mother and his lover, a necessary skill. It'll look less suspicious to our Muggle neighbours, he told Sirius one night after love, as they laid in each other's arms discussing Remus' decision. All Muggle men have driver's licenses, wouldn't it look suspicious to the Muggle policemen if I didn't have one?  
D'you *plan* on getting caught by the Muggle policemen? Sirius teased, tickling him, which put a not entirely unwelcome stop to the conversation. Later, Sirius admitted Remus had a point, and agreed to teach him how to drive. It turned out Remus was an extremely cautious and *slow* driver.  
  
I'm not that slow, Remus argued, And besides, you drive too *fast*. You almost got us killed the other day.  
Sirius rolled his eyes and said in a potentially-confidential whisper to Grace and Peter, He'll be on about that for the rest of our lives, you know. We'll be a hundred and nine and he'll say every day, Siri, remember the time we went to visit Lil in the hospital and you almost killed us?' I'll be on my deathbed and he'll say, I love you Siri, have fun wherever you end up, and remember the day you almost got us killed?'  
Remus growled at his boyfriend, but before they could argue any further, James' cute little Volkswagen Beetle pulled up to the curb. Whyever James wanted a Beetle was a mystery to them all, seeing as James was a *tall* man and the Beetle was *not* built for tall men. As he opened the door and climbed out, Sirius began to chuckle, picturing James driving with his knees under his chin. James paused on his way around the car to open the door for Lily and tried to glare at Sirius, but couldn't help smiling as well.  
D'you find something comical about my appearance while I was driving my automobile? he demanded.  
giggled Sirius. That car... and you, Jim... it's like.. a clown car or something!  
It's not that small, James said defensively, helping his wife out of the Beetle. At least it's not some banged-up hotrod with a huge dent in the door.  
Hey, that wasn't my fault! Sirius argued, going over to grab Lily's suitcase. Some old lady bashed my car opening her door when I took Remmie out to do the shopping.  
You two, sighed Lily, planting kisses on Remus', Peter's, and Grace's cheeks as she stepped onto the porch. What exactly are all you people doing lurking on my front porch, by the way?  
they said, looking somewhat shifty.  
Just my luck, Siri's booby-trapped the place', Lily thought to herself. As soon as she entered the living room, she frowned. It looked... neater than usual. Oh, that was because Harry's furniture was... gone?  
Befuddled, she walked down the hallway and peeped into Harry's room. Her jaw dropped when she saw the neat white crib and the honey-coloured changing table and rocker neatly set up, then she burst into tears.  
What is it, Lil? James asked, alarmed, then peered over her shoulder. Five seconds later, *he* burst into tears.  
  
Barking, howling mad, Sirius sighed.  
  
~September 13~  
  
I don't like delays, Voldemort said crossly, scowling down at the figure prostrated before him.  
Yes, My Lord, I'm sorry, the man murmured. But Dumbledore is being very careful - he hasn't even told James and Lily what's to be done yet, so I haven't the slightest clue...  
Muggle-loving fool, Voldemort scowled. Why won't he get on with it?  
W-well, My Lord, I think Dumbledore suspects someone is passing information to you...  
I know that, idiot! Voldemort turned to stroke his pet snake. The fool isn't as stupid as he looks. I know he knows, but since he does not know who it is, he cannot make a move...  
Nagini hissed as Voldemort thoughtfully traced the diamonds on her back.  
You may go, he said to the cloaked man, who bowed and hurried out as always.  
Their time will come... Voldemort muttered to himself, still stroking Nagini. No matter what the Mudblood-lover does, the Potters are doomed....  
  
~September 14 - the Potter's house~  
  
Harry's bottles are in the cupboard over the sink, Lily instructed, shrugging into her coat. Warm him up one around five or so - see if he'll go down around six - extra diapers are in his bedroom beside the changing table - all his toys are-  
Lil, we'll be fine, Sirius said patiently. We're not completely helpless; I expect Remmie and I can take care of a baby for a couple of hours. Now go, before you're late...  
James and Lily were getting ready to leave that moment to see Dumbledore, who had asked to see them as soon as possible. What he wanted, James didn't know, but Dumbledore's letter had sounded extremely urgent. The only course of action was to go, and leave Harry home under the watchful eyes of Sirius and Remus.   
Siri's right, Lil, do stop fussing, James said, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder. Come on, we should go.   
All right, Lily said, biting her lip. She kissed Harry three or four times before she and James Disapperated.   
  
Once they were gone, Remus and Sirius held their breath and eyed Harry warily, expecting him to burst into tears at any second. But he didn't, only giggled and waved his feet in the air and chewed on his teddy bear's arm.  
Well behaved kid, aren't you? Sirius asked, leaning over to kiss his godson. Good. No trouble for me and Remmie, then.  
Harry gurgled in response and held his arms out to Sirius, obviously asking to be picked up. Sirius was more than happy to oblige.  
  
~Meanwhile, Dumbledore's Office~  
  
Good evening, Lily, James, Dumbledore said, opening the door for the Potters. His expression was very grave, but his voice was warm enough. Please, have a seat.  
James and Lily seated themselves in the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk as Dumbledore resumed his own seat. (It was incredible how much nicer these chairs were to sit in when you *weren't* in trouble, James reflected.)  
What's wrong, sir? he asked the headmaster. Your letter sounded very urgent... is something wrong?  
Dumbledore heaved a heavy sigh. Well, I have some rather upsetting news for you. I... don't know how to tell this to you. But recently I received an owl from one of the spies I have working for me. This spy has been keeping a close watch on the activities of Lord Voldemort and his followers, and has provided me with two pieces of startling information.  
What is it? Lily asked quietly. She looked quite pale but still rather calm. Dumbledore marveled at her courage, and took a deep breath.  
I'm afraid that.... Lord Voldemort.... wants you to join his ranks, he said hesitantly.  
James' brown eyes flashed dangerously. Well, he's not getting us, he said quietly.  
I know. And Lord Voldemort knows that as well, Dumbledore responded. But I am afraid, knowing he cannot recruit you, he will try to... *eliminate* you both, if it is at all possible. And Harry as well.  
Lily reached out and grasped James' hand very tightly. But when she spoke, her voice was steady. What else did your spy tell you?  
Well... he believes that one of your close friends may be passing information about yourselves to Voldemort, Dumbledore said unhappily.  
The Potters gaped at him. Finally James seemed to recover his voice and he stammered, N - no way! I can't imagine Remmie or Pete or Grace being spies for Voldemort.... and Siri... God, he's my best friend. He'd rather die than betray us, I know it.  
I understand, Dumbledore said quietly. In his own mind, Sirius seemed like the most likely suspect. So close to James and Lily.... being Harry's godfather.... he'd know absolutely anything that went on with the Potters, and was around them more that anyone else was. While it was possible Remus or Peter could be the spy, Dumbledore was highly doubtful on both men. Remus was a sweet, trusting type; he would never betray anyone, Dumbledore was sure, but he was also quite gullible. Dumbledore knew it would probably be very easy for Sirius to hide something like this from his lover.... after all, he wasn't one of the cleverest students ever at Hogwarts for nothing. And Peter.... while Peter was a close friend of the Potters, it wasn't very likely that he knew much about their day-to-day life....  
I understand, Dumbledore repeated, and frowned deeply.  
Isn't there anything we can do? Lily asked anxiously. Her mind was on her son - he was perfectly safe with Sirius and Remus, but the thought of the Dark Lord hunting down her own baby terrified her.  
I believe there might be, Dumbledore said quietly. We would have to preform the Fidelius Charm. It is a spell that magically conceals a secret within the soul of a living person... we will choose someone to be your Secret-Keeper, and once the charm is preformed, Lord Voldemort will never be able to find you or Harry - unless the Secret-Keeper chooses to reveal your whereabouts.  
It sounds pretty fool-proof, Lily said, her brow furrowed in concentration. Are you sure this is our best bet?  
Dumbledore said quietly. But it is very complex, as I said, and would take a while to be preformed. And you would need to seriously consider who you would choose as the Secret-Keeper.It is not a decision to be taken lightly.  
Yes, sir, James said, as the three of them rose to their feet. Thank you, sir.  
You're very welcome, Dumbledore said, walking the Potters to the door. As he opened it for them, he smiled for the first time during the meeting. And by the way - how is young Master Harry, may I ask?  
He's wonderful, Lily said proudly. An angel. Sirius and Remus are staying with him now.  
Which makes me cold with fear, James whispered to her as they left.  
  
~September 15 - The Leaky Cauldron~  
  
So what did Dumbledore have to say? Sirius asked in a low voice, glancing around uneasily.   
Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter were sitting in a corner booth at the Leaky Cauldron the day after the Potters' meeting with Dumbledore. James had owled his friends early that morning, asking them to meet him at the pub that night. He had something to tell them, he had said. But he seemed most reluctant to discuss it all the same. And he hadn't brought Lily, or invited Grace. That just made things look worse. It was actually the first time the Marauders had all been together without anyone else since they left Hogwarts, but they weren't particularly enjoying it.  
James looked around cautiously and lowered his voice so much that his friends had to lean close to hear him. Well.... he says Voldemort wants me and Lil on his side.  
Sirius growled. But he won't get you, of course!  
That's the worst of it, James muttered. Voldemort knows he can't convince us to join him. So instead, Dumbledore thinks he might try to ... *kill* us. Harry too.  
They gaped at him in shock.   
He wouldn't, Remus said weakly.  
He would, James and Sirius grumbled in unison.   
What could be worse? Peter said hopelessly.  
James heaved a heavy sigh. Dumbledore says..... somebody's passing information about us to Voldemort.  
Nobody said a word. James kept his head down, but glancing up from under his messy bangs, he took careful study of the expressions on his best friends' faces. They all looked stunned beyond belief and frightened to death, but he saw nothing on their faces that came close to revealing guilt or knowledge of the culprit. Good, then. Either they weren't the ones - or - he winced at the thought - the guilty party was a *very* good actor. He raised his head and stirred his drink unhappily.   
Whoever he is... Sirius said, slowly and deliberately, I will find him and tear - him - apart.  
You don't have any ideas, Jim? Remus asked desperately.  
None at all.... James sighed.  
  
~October 1 - London College of Advanced Magical Study~  
  
Okay, now, the stewed slugs go in *after* the porcupine quills, right? Remus asked, turning to his lab partner. Melinda Petrie was a mousy-haired, good-humoured girl, and quite smart. Remus liked her a lot - somehow she reminded him of Lily.  
Yes, that's right, Melinda said, nodding. Remus, you're better at potion-brewing than you think you are.  
Remus blushed. Oh, not really, he said, quite flattered all the same. If it weren't for you, I'd have gotten stuck at the second step.  
With a shy giggle, Melinda added the stewed slugs to the potion. You'd be fine, she said. Let's chalk it up to teamwork. She peered into the cauldron and looked from the bubbling potion to her notes. It looks like it should. Have a peek.  
Remus smiled and took a look. Their potion was a deep, navy blue and very frothy. So far, so good, he agreed.  
Melinda said suddenly. Don't you know that Severus Snape character? She pointed across the room to where Snape and his partner were occupied with their own potion.  
We were in the same year at Hogwarts, Remus said cautiously. But we really didn't like each other too much.  
But you'd know if he were acting strangely, Melinda insisted. Wouldn't you? I mean, he's been acting oddly for a while now.  
What d'you mean?  
Well, last week he missed a Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, Melinda frowned. And that doesn't tally with what you've told me about him at all. And I hear he's been hanging around with some pretty shifty people.  
Like who? Remus frowned, stirring the potion as Melinda added chunks of chopped dragon liver to the cauldron.  
Darien Avery.... Evan Rosier... Grub Jointly...  
Remus gawked at her. G-G-Grub Jointly?  
D'you know him?  
He's my brother-in-law, Remus said, then, afraid his voice sounded weird - But Snape used to hang out with those same people at Hogwarts. What do you think he'd be up to?  
I don't know.... but... do you think he could be in league with You-Know-Who?  
Remus suppressed a shudder. Don't talk like that. I admit Snape's a tad -er - unusual, but supporting You-Know-Who.... He paused. Could it be true? Snape was definitely evil enough, or at least he seemed so at times... but really! In league with the Dark Lord?   
After class ended, Melinda and Remus hurried to the library to look for some books to help them on their upcoming term paper. Along the way, Remus fell to pondering Sirius' strange behaviour. Sirius had been *very* secretive lately, and Remus couldn't figure out why. Their relationship couldn't be better; so whatever he was up to, it was not Remus' fault. It had occurred to Remus that maybe Sirius was just concerned for James and Lily... God knew how worried they all were for the Potters' safety...  
Penny for your thoughts, Melinda said teasingly.  
Oh! Sorry, Remus said quickly, realizing they had reached the library while he had been thinking about Sirius. It's nothing, really...  
  
~October 10 - the Black/Lupin residence~  
  
So that's Sirius, Melinda said, amused, as she and Remus set their things up at the dining room table. She was looking over at the couch where Sirius was sprawled, fast asleep, an arm over his eyes. Melinda was visiting so she and Remus could work on their term paper, and it was the first time she'd seen Remus' lover.  
That's Sirius, Remus replied with a smile.  
He's cute. You have good taste. Melinda said approvingly.  
Remus said, blushing. He's rather good at the housework - well, now that I've trained him - I think I'll keep him.  
Melinda giggled as she opened Remus' copy of Moste Potent Potions. I can't believe you have this, she gushed, looking down at the mouldy, water-spotted pages. And it's so *old*.  
It was Siri's great-grandfather's copy, according to him, Remus said, bringing some glasses of juice out of the kitchen. What his great-grandfather was doing with Moste Potent Potions, I don't want to know.  
Who cares, as long as we can use it for our research, Melinda said, taking the glass Remus offered her and sitting down. Potion antidotes are *not* my most favorite research topic.  
Nor are they mine, Remus agreed. Anything to do with Potions is a disaster area for me. But the best thing we can do is work on it together. Here - you start there, and I'll start with this - he indicated a heavy book in front of him, titled History of Antidotes' - and when you find something relevant, write it down. We'll stop in an hour or so and compare notes.  
Melinda agreed, and they settled down to work. For the next twenty minutes, there was no sound except for pages turning and quills scratching on paper. But the peace was broken by Sirius, who shuffled into the dining room, blinking sleepily and shaking his hair out of his eyes.  
What time is it, Remmie? he mumbled.  
Remus glanced up at the clock. Half-past four.  
Sirius suddenly looked wide-awake. He noticed Melinda, blushed, and mumbled, He rubbed his eyes and grumbled. I've got to go out. I'm late already.  
Where are you going? Remus asked absentmindedly, carefully copying down a paragraph from his book.   
Sirius said evasively, lacing up his boots. He gave Remus a kiss, shook hands with Melinda, and Disapperated.  
  
Where would he be going? Melinda asked ten minutes later.  
Remus shrugged.   
I thought you'd be a little more concerned, Melinda said, reddening slightly as Remus looked up from his book.   
What d'you mean?  
I'd be afraid he was - well - cheating on me.  
Siri'd never do that, Remus said, going back to his book. Trust me.  
I suppose you know him better than I do, Melinda sighed, going back to her work as well.  
  
~November 1~  
  
Lord Voldemort paced around his chamber, frowning deeply and wondering what was taking so long. He scowled, his red eyes flashing dangerously. Didn't anyone realize time was very important?  
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.  
Voldemort growled.  
A man entered the room, wearing a black, hooded cloak that hid his face entirely. Voldemort gave a satisfied nod. Finally. You have arrived. You are late.  
I'm sorry, My Lord, the hooded man murmured softly. It was beyond my control.  
Voldemort seriously doubted this, but let it pass. You have new information for me?  
Some, My Lord, some, the man whispered. It's been hard following the Potters without arousing suspicion - very hard indeed-  
Out with it, hissed Voldemort, taking a menacing step towards the man. What pitiful information do you have for me now?  
They know you're after them, the man mumbled. Met with Dumbledore.... told them everything...  
Voldemort cursed angrily. That Muggle-loving fool! He turned back to his servant. What else do you know?   
The man shivered. Dumbledore... wants to try the Fidelius Charm......  
With another angry curse, Voldemort gave his servant a cold glance. The Fidelius Charm? If he does that, I have no hope... none at all... unless... -he smiled a rather nasty smile - I was to... *persuade* the Secret-Keeper that divulging the information may be less painful than keeping it secret... Do you have anything else to tell me?  
Well... My Lord, I - I - that's all I have as of now...  
Voldemort's gaze became even colder. And when, may I ask, did you learn of this?  
S-S-September, My Lord....  
As hard as following the Potters may be, you could have told me sooner! Voldemort hissed, his red, snakelike eyes narrowing. I think you deserve a reminder of what happens to those who hold things from me... He reached into his pocket and took out his wand.  
No, my Lord, no, please, begged the hooded man.   
  
The man fell to the ground, screaming in agony as the Cruciatus Curse worked through his body, twisting his figure with pain. Voldemort jerked his wand up, cutting off the curse, leaving his servant lying on the ground, panting.  
You see how foolish it is to disobey me? Now leave me, you worthless fool! Voldemort growled.  
The man staggered to his feet and hurried away as fast as he could, leaving Voldemort to fall to his own thoughts. Albus Dumbledore would surely ruin all.... But, if the Fidelius Charm was preformed, Voldemort knew *just* the person he would have to pursue....  
  
~November 16~  
  
Harry Potter crawled busily through the forest of legs in his kitchen, causing several people to jump backward in alarm to avoid him. But Harry paid them no heed. He was a baby with a mission. He had to find his teddy bear. He had dropped it in the confusion when all these strange people started arriving at his house. He had deduced, by the mysterious conversations between his parents, that this was a PARTEE. Harry had no idea what a PARTEE was, but he was determined to find his bear.  
Hey! Where are you going, sport?  
A pair of strong arms seized Harry and lifted him into the air, and he looked into the smiling face of Sirius. Harry had been prepared to cry, but when he saw who had grabbed him, he gurgled happily. He liked this man, this Sirius. Sirius was a GODFATHER, whatever that was. Harry didn't know what a GODFATHER was, but he liked GODFATHERS, and hoped he could find some more. But that would have to wait. He was on a mission here. Time to recruit some help. He slung an arm companionably around Sirius' neck and commented, (Translation: Siri-doggy'.)  
That's right, Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair. What's your hurry?  
Harry told him.  
said Sirius. Your bear. Let's find him, then.  
Sirius carried Harry through the packed living room and down the hall to his bedroom. Sitting in his crib was Harry's blue bear.  
Harry squealed in delight when he saw it, stretching out his arms for it. Sirius laughed and took the bear out of the crib, and handed it to his godson.   
Keep a good hold on him, Sirius advised, carrying Harry back to the PARTEE.   
Harry looked up at his GODFATHER in adoration. He loved Sirius, and the man who was so often with Sirius - Remus. They were his most favourite people in the world, besides his parents and the nice, smiling lady who came to visit his mother a lot - Grace. To his delight, Sirius was bringing him over to Grace and Remus.  
Whoo, he's getting heavy, Sirius said, dropping to the couch beside Remus.   
He's a growing boy, Grace said, leaning over Remus to kiss Harry on the nose.   
Harry giggled, then saw someone approaching them. His bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. Coming towards them was a man Harry did not like. He was a paunchy young man, with a pointed nose, watery grey eyes, and dishwater-blond hair. His name was Peter, and Harry did not like him at all. Something about Peter made the baby uneasy. To his displeasure, Peter sat down on Sirius' other side.  
Hi, kiddo, Peter said cheerfully, ruffling Harry's hair. Harry frowned at him, not trusting him in the least. There was only one way to get out of this situation. Harry opened his mouth and began to scream.  
Ack! Harry! Stop! Sirius yelped, hurriedly getting to his feet and carrying Harry into the kitchen. What's wrong? Do you want your mum? Hold on, I'll find her...  
They didn't find Mum, but they did find Dad. Dad took Harry from Sirius and said, What's wrong with him, Siri?  
Dunno, he started screaming for no reason, Sirius panted. He does that every time Pete shows up, I dunno why...  
Dad shrugged and kissed his son's cheek. He's fine now, he frowned. I'll turn him over to Lil... she always knows what to do.  
  
~December 28, 7:10 PM - the Potters'~  
  
Bye bye, love, Lily cooed, kissing her son. Be good for Sirius and Remus.  
He always is, Sirius said with a grin. Have fun, guys. Bring me back a dessert.  
A doggie bag, James grinned, putting an arm around his wife. Be back around nine.  
The Potters left, leaving Harry (who was falling asleep) in the somewhat capable hands of their best friends. Sirius plopped down on the couch and turned on the telly. We should go out some night, Remmie.  
Remus wasn't really fond of social situations, and usually avoided putting himself in one. But he figured a romantic dinner with his boyfriend couldn't be so bad.   
All right. Where d'you suggest? he asked, curling up beside Sirius and opening a book (he *hated* just sitting and watching the telly - it always made him feel like he was wasting time, so he read a book and glanced up at the programme every now and then).  
Would you want to go someplace extremely classy? Sirius asked him. Say, a French restaurant or someplace like that? Or does Italian sound better?  
Remus said immediately, already imagining himself having the finest bouillabaisse London could offer. But Siri... I hate it when you spend so much money on me!  
I know you do, Sirius said, But I can't help myself. I like spending money on you, and it's not like we can't afford it or anything....  
  
~Meanwhile, Dumbledore's Office~  
  
Can you tell us more about the Fidelius Charm, sir? James said thoughtfully, looking at Dumbledore. Is it really our best chance? Is there anything that could go wrong during the performance of the spell?  
Not at all, Dumbledore said. It's true that not many people use the Fidelius Charm, for fear that something could go wrong. But there is really no risk to it. The old stories about accidental memory erasures and mutations are just that - stories. No truth to them at all. He sighed. And there's no reason to worry - once the charm is preformed, the secret is impossible to find... As long as you choose a Secret-Keeper whom you know will be loyal to you forever.  
That's easy, James said immediately. It'll be Sirius.  
Dumbledore frowned. He didn't want to voice his suspicions about Sirius out loud, so he merely raised an eyebrow. Are you sure?  
Of course we are! Lily said, sounding surprised. James is right, sir, Sirius is the perfect choice. He's our very best friend, he'd never betray us.  
That's right. James said firmly. I've known Sirius since we were babies, sir, and I stand by what I said earlier. Siri'd rather die than hand us over to Voldemort.  
It's not that I don't trust Sirius, Dumbledore lied. But... I think you should use someone else. If you want - I will do it for you...  
That's very kind of you, sir, James said quietly. But I think it should be Sirius.  
Dumbledore realized there was to be no argument. James and Lily were set on using Sirius; there was nothing he could say that would deter them. So he nodded wearily.  
All right.... but I think we should all meet here again soon, to discuss this. I need to make sure Sirius fully understands it...  
  
~January 16~  
  
Oh, go on, Lil...  
  
It's perfectly safe... I do it all the time... he'll be fine...  
It's still no. You drive like a maniac.  
Aww, you're no fun, Sirius pouted, shaking his long hair out of his eyes. Can't a godfather take his godson out for a measly motorcycle ride?  
Not when the godfather is you, and the godson is Harry.  
Sirius wailed, and looked at James. Jim, overrule her! You can do that, can't you?  
James quailed under the furious glare his wife gave him. Er - well - I'd like to, but you know, Siri, Lil's right - you don't drive as - er - *safely* as you should...  
Screw safety! Sirius said, but regretted it at once when he saw the looks on their faces. Sorry. I just wanna give Harry some fun, is all. He winked at the baby, who was in his father's arms and watching Sirius intently. What d'you think, Harry?  
Harry yelled at once, reaching his arms out for his godfather. James and Lily groaned.   
I should have known you were using the Imperius Curse on him, James scowled. All right, all right, he said to his son, who was still struggling and yelling . We can go, I guess. But I'll ride with him, he said to Sirius. You're not leaving him in that sidecar without anyone to hold him. Carefully, James climbed into the motorcycle's sidecar. This thing doesn't even have seatbelts! he said unhappily.  
*Do* be careful! Lily shouted anxiously over the sound of the motorcycle's engine as Sirius started it up.  
Sirius waved to show he had heard, and drove off. James gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, fearing death at every turn. Harry, however, was having fun, clapping delightedly and gurgling in his throat to imitate the bike's engine. James groaned, feeling a slight bit queasy. He cracked one eye open to see where they were. It turned out they were speeding down an old, unused-looking dirt road.  
Er - Siri! Where are we going? James yelled.  
Sirius shouted back, pressing a button on the bike's control panel at the same time, sending the bike flying up into the sky.   
You jerk! James hollered. The Muggles are sure to see us, you know!  
No they won't! Sirius yelled. There's no one living around here for miles - we'll be fine!  
How can you be so sure?  
I've taken Remmie here before!  
Watch out for that tree! James shrieked, while Harry burbled joyously and bounced up and down on his father's lap.  
I can *see* it, Jim! Sirius yelled back, swerving to avoid it.   
  
It seemed to James that this torture lasted for hours; but when they finally touched ground once more he peeked at his watch and was stunned to learn it had only been forty minutes.   
See, it wasn't so bad, was it? Sirius asked once they had gotten back to the Potters' house (where Lily had been hovering near the window ever since they left, terrified the Muggle policemen would show up at any minute and tell her her husband and son were dead).  
Well, Harry liked it, James said, looking down at his son, who was beginning to doze off. Look, he tired himself out with all that yelling. Lily rushed out of the house to meet them as Sirius grinned.  
Have fun, sport? he asked Harry.  
Harry mumbled.   
Mummy's right here, darling, Lily said, taking Harry from James. She looked anxiously at her husband and Sirius. Did it go all right? You didn't do anything careless, did you?   
Please, Lil! Sirius said, rolling his eyes as they went inside. Have a *little* confidence in me, please!  
  
Once Lily had made hot chocolate for them all and put Harry to bed, James was ready to tell Sirius why he had asked him over. Siri? Can I ask you something?  
Sure, Jim. What's on your mind?  
Well.... first I should tell you something... Remember the times Lil and I have gone off to meet Dumbledore?....  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
...And we want you to be our Secret-Keeper, Siri, James finished several minutes later.  
Sirius put down his empty mug and looked from James to Lily and back again, white as chalk. You're really telling me Voldemort's after you.  
The Potters nodded.  
Sirius let out his breath in a great rush and ran his fingers through his hair. I expect Dumbledore wants to meet with me then?  
said James. Next time we go to see him... you're to come as well. He wants to discuss this with you... it's such a big decision and all...  
No, it isn't, Jim, Sirius sighed. You expected me to refuse? I couldn't turn my back on you guys like that. No, I'm definitely gonna do it.  
Thanks, Siri, James said softly, touched, and got up to hug his best friend.  
Just one thing.   
What is it?  
Sirius winced as an earsplitting yell sounded from upstairs. Er - I think someone wants you.  
  
~February 3 - the Potters'~  
  
Remus was sitting at James and Lily's dining room table, patiently working on a very long and tedious essay for his Defense Against the Dark Arts course. Harry was sitting under the table at his feet, absorbed in Remus' shoelaces, which were fascinating to him. Remus peeked under the table every once in awhile to make sure Harry hadn't wandered off or started to chew the shoelaces. When he peeked again around seven o'clock after finishing his essay, Harry was sound asleep. Remus carried him off to his bedroom and put him in his crib, then brought his shoes into the living room, sat down in front of the telly and began the long task of disentangling the mess Harry had made with his shoes.  
  
Remus was taking care of Harry all alone tonight. James and Lily had gone off to meet Dumbledore again, and Sirius had gone off someplace too. Remus didn't know where; when he asked, Sirius mumbled, Noplace. Out, and refused to say any more. It bothered Remus a little. He wanted to know where his mate was going, just in case anything happened. Sirius had always understood this and never argued... but this time he had been most reluctant to say anything. Now where could he be going that was so top-secret? Remus wondered to himself, glancing up from his shoelaces to catch a glimpse of the game show on the telly. Sirius could be doing anything; well, except cheating on Remus.... Remus knew he'd never do such a thing. But his uneasiness wasn't alleviated by the thought. After all, there were a lot of things that were worse than cheating on your mate...  
  
Contributing to the planning of the deaths of your best friends, for instance....  
  
~Meanwhile, Dumbledore's Office~  
  
I get it, Sirius said slowly, running a hand through his hair. So if I'm the Secret-Keeper... if the charm works.... Voldemort can't find Jim, or Lil, or Harry.... even if he's standing on their front walk watching them wash the car?  
Dumbledore chuckled softly. Not exactly the way I'd have put it, but very close, he said, smiling. Yes, Sirius.  
Sirius frowned. But... If we do it this way... well, I mean.. Jim, Lil, it's not that I don't want to do it, - he patted Lily's hand reassuringly - But won't it be a little... *obvious* to Voldemort? I mean... we're so close. I'd be the first one he's suspect, and God knows what he'd do to try and make me talk. He didn't voice his biggest fear - that Voldemort would torture or kill Remus in an attempt to make Sirius give away the Potters' whereabouts.  
That's kind of true, James said, frowning. Just the sort of thing he'd do, too. I wouldn't want to put Remmie or your family in danger, Siri.  
Dumbledore frowned. Is there no one else?  
We don't know for sure who the spy is, Lily said. You're really the only one, Siri.  
You don't suspect Remus or Peter, do you? Sirius asked her, frowning.  
Oh, no, not at all! Lily said hastily. No, Siri, I trust them, and Grace too. But you should really be the one to do it.  
But we can't let him rush into a decision that could put others in danger, James argued. Think about it, Lil. The point is to *save* some innocent lives, not endanger them!  
You're right, his wife sighed, biting her bottom lip nervously.  
But I'm not *not* going to help, Sirius said angrily.   
May I suggest, Dumbledore cut in, making them all turn their heads sharply to look at him, That Sirius take awhile to think it over?  
There was a short silence, and then James nodded. You're entirely right, sir. This calls for a great deal of thought.  
Sirius sighed. The answer'll still be the same, you know, but if that's really what you want, Headmaster, I'll do as you say.  
Very good, said Dumbledore, trying to ignore the immense feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius didn't go straight home after he and the Potters left Dumbledore's office. Instead, he took a stroll through Hogsmeade, and ended up sitting on the top bar at the stile at the end of the road, looking up at the stars and thinking. His mind was on Remus. Lily had denied thinking his mate was the spy, and even though Sirius wanted to believe it with all his heart, and *did* believe it to an extent, a horrible feeling of doubt lurked in the back of his mind that refused to be pushed away. Could Remus be a Death Eater? Sirius shuddered to think of his precious Moony going anywhere near Voldemort or his servants.   
No, no, it can't be, he muttered to himself, looking up at his star. Not Remmie. He'd never do such a thing. He *loves* Jim and Lil. And he'd never put *me* through anything like that, either. And the Death Eaters, even as evil as they were, would *not* want a werewolf to join their ranks, he added silently.   
You don't know a thing about what he does after school, a voice spoke up in his head. You know perfectly well his classes end at two. So why does he stay out until nearly dinnertime?  
He's working on homework and projects, Sirius mumbled to himself. He told me so. He needs the library at his school - it has a *lot* more books and information than his study at home. He finally got up and climbed off the stile, noticing for the first time that his nose and ears had gone numb with cold and that he was shivering.   
It's not Remmie, he said fiercely before Disapperating.  
But that feeling of doubt refused to go.  
  
~April 4 - a secret Death Eater location~  
  
Severus Snape looked round the room cautiously, taking in the sight of the other gathered Death Eaters, who were all waiting patiently for Lord Voldemort to arrive. Though all were hooded and masked, Snape could tell a few of them by their voices and actions. Right near him was Lucius Malfoy, Paul Crabbe, and Robert Goyle. A unctuous, self-assured voice he heard nearby made him quite sure that Igor Karkaroff was here was well. The Lestranges were nearby; Evan and Rosier were there too, with Barty Crouch. But Snape's biggest interest was the man he was talking to, whom he felt quite sure was an old nemesis of his own from Hogwarts, and one of the *last* people he'd ever expect to support Lord Voldemort. Quite interesting. And if he wasn't mistaken, it was the same person who was gathering information on the Potters...  
Finally, Voldemort arrived, and Snape sat up a little straighter, abruptly cutting himself off in mid-sentance. The man he was talking to shrugged and looked up at the Dark Lord as well.   
My friends, the Voldemort thundered, and everyone in the room suppressed a shudder at that cold voice. We shall begin, starting with an account of the murder of the Prewetts, which took place last week... another bothersome pair of Aurors has fallen!  
  
~May 16 - Serena and Grub's house~  
  
Where *is* Grub, anyway? Sirius wondered aloud, not really caring, but he had to say *something*. He and Remus were visiting Remus' sister, just because they hadn't seen her in a year or so and felt a little guilty. But then, she *was* a little hard to be around. Ever since her marriage to Grub (who wasn't too bright but came from a family who was possessed of a tremendous amount of both money and respectability), Serena had become even more insufferably stuck-up and rude.   
I don't know, she said airily in answer to Sirius' question. Should I?  
He _is_ your husband, Sirius said, rolling his eyes.  
And you'd think he'd at least be around to say hello, Remus said, though not at all troubled, because he really didn't care for his brother-in-law.   
He's probably off doing something important, Serena snapped. Not everyone can lie around doing nothing! This last was directed to Sirius, who yawned very obviously behind his hand. Serena seemed determined to insult him at all costs; he had only come because Remus asked him to, and he didn't want to say no to Remus.   
Er - Sere - I noticed a rather lovely cherry tree in your front yard, Remus said hastily, seeing the looks on Serena and Sirius' faces. Where did you get that?  
said Serena dreamily, Greg bought that for me for my birthday.. it's not all that hard to take care if, actually - the other day, for instance -  
Sirius listened to Remus and Serena discuss gardening with only half his mind as he sipped absentmindedly at his tea and fiddled with a crumpet. It struck him as odd that Grub would be gone at nearly seven at night; usually he was home by then. Where could he have gone? Sirius vaguely recalled something Remus had told him once. He could barely remember what Remus had said; Sirius had been half asleep by then, and it had been months ago to boot. But it was something along the lines of Grub being a Death Eater. Was it possible? If Grub really was a follower of Voldemort, did Serena know? If she knew, did she care? She was probably evil enough, or at least she was in Sirius' mind after all they had been through at Hogwarts.   
And what about Remmie himself? It was driving Sirius mad, and weighing on him mightily, along with all the pros and cons of becoming James and Lily's Secret-Keeper. These days his brain usually felt like a wrung-out sponge by the time he fell asleep, with all the things it was preoccupied by in the daytime. What to do.... it was all Voldemort's fault... bringing all these worries and problems to innocent people...  
  
~June 11 - 11:30 PM~  
  
Remus lay absolutely still, his arm around his lover, who had finally fallen asleep. Remus had no idea what was troubling Sirius lately, and Sirius wouldn't say. It might have been stress. Quite often Sirius had splitting headaches and lost a lot of sleep. Recently he had begun having severe nightmares, and they cut down on his sleep even more. What was there to cause so much stress in Sirius' life? They *were* all worried about Lily and James, but this was a little bit extreme.... Unless, of course, Sirius was Voldemort's spy....  
Dismissing that depressing thought, Remus closed his eyes and had just begun to doze off when Sirius' body gave a tremendous jerk beside him, snapping him fully awake as Sirius screamed and sat up. He looked wildly around with wide eyes, trembling.  
Remus whispered, shaken, putting his arms around Sirius and drawing him close. Sirius was trembling with fear and drenched in cold sweat, his long hair plastered to his neck and shoulders. Siri, it's all right! It was only a dream!  
Sirius finally realized he and been dreaming, and clung tightly to Remus, trying hard not to cry. It had been a terrible, horrible dream, and he never wanted to have it again. He was frankly amazed he hadn't wet himself in fear. Still shivering, Sirius nuzzled Remus' neck, holding him so tight that Remus found bruises on his skin the next morning, feeling overwhelming relief to be out of that nightmare and safe in someone's arms.   
Remus stroked Sirius' hair and planted light kisses along his hairline, trying to calm him. When Sirius stopped shaking, Remus murmured, Love, what were you dreaming about?  
Sirius' body went as stiff as a poker in his arms. Nothing. I can't remember. I don't *want* to remember. He relaxed, whimpering slightly and brushing impatiently at the tears lurking in the corners of his eyes.  
Remus kissed his nose. Wait a minute. He got up, went into the bathroom, and came back in with Sirius' water glass and a purple bottle of Sleeping Potion. He had it on hand mainly for the nights just before and after the full moon, when his dreams became truly unbearable for him, and he figured it was just the thing Sirius needed at the moment.  
Sirius said instantly, when he saw what Remus was holding. No, Remmie, I don't want it.  
I know you don't agree with taking potions and medicines to fall asleep, Remus said softly, pouring some of the potion into Sirius' glass. But you need it now. No arguments. Here, drink up.  
Sirius reluctantly took the potion and drank it with a grimace. The effect was instantaneous, and his eyelids began to droop as he handed the glass back to Remus. Remus climbed back in the bed and pulled the covers over himself and his lover, snuggling close to Sirius.   
Sirius mumbled, trying to stave off the waves of exhaustion clouding his mind for a few more moments.  
  
Don't leave me, Sirius whispered. Please, don't ever leave me.  
Remus kissed him softly. I never will, love. You're my world. Now go to sleep, dear.  
  
~July 31, 1985 - Harry's 1st Birthday~  
  
Harry squealed at the top of his lungs, making everyone around him wince. He paid no heed. Today had been a simply mysterious day from the moment Harry awoke that morning. All day long he had been forced to sit still in his playpen while his parents rushed all over the house, preparing for another PARTEE. As far as Harry was concerned, PARTEEs weren't worth all this fuss. That was, until he saw what had been waiting for him.  
An entire table, laden with brightly-coloured parcels and little plastic party favours, had been set up in the garden. Bright balloons were tied to the porch rail and the backs of the chairs, some shaped like animals that really made noise, and others that occasionally sprayed out glittery confetti. Sirius, Remus, Grace, and Peter, along with Grampa and Gramma, had been waiting outside when Dad and Mum brought Harry outside.  
Happy Birthday, Harry, Sirius said, gingerly taking his fingers out of his ears. Boy, you sure can yell.  
Helloooo, my birthday boy, Gramma cooed, taking Harry from James and kissing his cheeks. Harry wrinkled his nose at the smell of his grandmother's perfume and the feel of her waxy lipstick. Gramma sat, with Harry on her lap, and began working fiercely at the lipstick smears she had left on his cheeks as Grampa ruffled his grandson's hair.  
Crikey, he's getting big, Peter commented, and Harry shot him a dark look which no one noticed. Why was *that man* at his PARTEE? Harry didn't like that man, but didn't know how to make him leave. He didn't have time to muse over this, though, as Sirius knelt beside Gramma and grinned at Harry.   
Pete's right. You're getting big, my man, Sirius said, tickling Harry under his chin. You'll be as tall as your dad in no time.  
Harry said at once, holding his arms out to Sirius, and was handed to his godfather by his grandmother.   
That's me, Sirius agreed. Look, Harry, you haven't even looked at your presents yet. He carried Harry over to the enormous heap of parcels on the table.   
Harry gave him a comically puzzled look. he asked, pointing at himself.  
Yes, lovey, his mum said, narrowly avoiding getting Sirius' hair in her eye as she kissed her son's cheek. Those are all yours.  
An intriguing development. Harry eyed the parcels, then the grown-ups, who were all beaming at him. What had he done to get all these parcels?   
Sirius sat Harry down in his booster seat. Harry just sat and goggled up at them all. Poor little guy. I don't think he knows what's going on.  
James sat beside Harry and took the first present from the pile. It's simple enough, Harry, he said, sliding the parcel in front of his son. Harry gave him a quizzical glance, and James ripped a corner of the wrapping paper off the package.  
The baby's eyes lit up with comprehension. Ah! So that was what he needed to do. Harry seized a handful of ribbon and paper and tugged with all his might. The paper ripped open, revealing a flat, white box. Harry kept shredding at the paper until there was no more paper to shred, then clapped his hands. Very well, then! On with the next present!  
But his parents weren't giving him more paper to rip. Instead Mum was opening the white box, Grampa snapping pictures all the while. Harry watched in interest, but his interest didn't last long when he saw what was inside the box. A new spring suit! Harry wrinkled his little nose in disgust as the adults ooooh'ed' and ahhh'ed' over the outfit. Clothes were the last thing on his mind.   
Here you go, Harry, Dad said, finally sliding another package to his son. This one's from Sirius and Remus.  
Harry wasted no time in shredding off the dinosaur-printed paper, and his eyes widened when he saw what was inside. A great yellow dumptruck!  
Harry yelled when he got over his surprise.   
That's right, darling! his mother said, carefully taking the truck out of its box. It's a truck!  
Harry wanted to play with it straight away, but he had more presents to open. He ended up getting more clothes from his grandparents, and an action figure (G.I. Nigel! The All-British Hero!), more trucks, and a stupid hat with teddy bear ears (though his mother, Gramma, and Grace pronounced it adorable', his father and his friends winced at the sight of it).   
  
Finally, the presents were all opened, and Harry looked impatiently across the table at the pile, wanting to go play with his new toys. But no one let him down from his chair. Instead Mum stood up and said, Now for the you-know-what... Jim, come give me a hand...  
Mum and Dad disappeared into the house and Harry waited impatiently. Sirius took the stupid hat off Harry's head and put it aside at once (what a relief).  
All right, everybody sing! Mum called from the door, as she and Dad came out holding an enormous cake with a giant number one candle in it.  
And everyone started singing at once, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Harry, happy birthday to you, as Mum and Dad put the cake down on the table in front of Harry. Everyone was beaming at him (and singing that horrid song again), and Harry had no idea what was expected of him. So he did the only thing he could think of. He reached out, plunged his fist wrist-deep in frosting, pulled out a hunk of cake, and threw it, knocking his grandfather's toupee off.  
  
~August 11 - the Potters'~  
  
It's been months, said Sirius at once, and I know what I want to do.  
James and Lily said in unison.  
I told you I'd be the most obvious person to be a Secret-Keeper, and Voldemort would come after me straight away. So I thought about that, and it gave me an idea. Let's use - _Peter_!  
James said, stunned. That's - that's - that's-  
he and Lily said at once.  
Sirius beamed. You really think so?  
Yes, I do! said James, still stunned. That mind of yours, Siri - pure genius! Don't get me wrong, I love Pete and all, but he's no great shakes at magic. Voldemort'll never suspect a thing...  
Lily gave Sirius a warm hug. Sometimes you're so brilliant you scare me, she said to him, then looked from Sirius to her husband and back again. *Both* of you.  
If Pete'll agree, we're almost home-free, said James, smiling. Dumbledore gave us the spell, showed us how to preform it, and everything. I'll check back with him before we do it, of course. But I think we've got it right - he'll never get us now! Siri, I could kiss you!  
Sirius smiled shyly and swiped at his hair. Aww, Jim, you're making me blush!   
James laughed. Don't worry, I won't kiss you. When you get home tonight tell Remmie I say he has to give you an extra-big kiss.  
What'll I tell him I did?  
*You* come up with that. Tell him it's just because you were a good dog.  
Can do.  
When should we ask Peter? Lily asked, her eyes shining with happiness and relief. As soon as possible, I know, but when? Tomorrow?  
said Sirius slowly, If you don't mind I'd - er, well, I'd rather talk to him.  
All right, Lily agreed at once. She got up and kind of danced down the hall. You can't believe what a relief this is, she said happily. I'll be right back - I want to check on Harry.  
As soon as she was gone, James reached out and hugged his best friend. Thanks, Siri. I dunno where we'd be without you - I mean, that's a brilliant plan, but kind of simple - I don't know why I didn't think of it myself.  
Aah, it's no problem, Sirius said, kissing James on the nose. When you're really worried and anxious about something, the simplest stuff gets overlooked. It's okay, Jim.  
Are you sure you want to talk to Pete alone?  
Yeah, it's okay, Sirius said. I'll go see him first thing tomorrow.  
  
~August 12 - the Pettigrew's house~  
  
Peter was alone in the house, eating cereal and watching the telly when a loud *whoosh* noise made him look up in time to see Sirius emerging from the fireplace, brushing soot out of his hair.  
Hey, Pete, he said cheerfully. Are you alone?  
Er - yes, Peter said hesitantly. That question did not bode well with him when it was asked by his gay friend, who was quite a bit taller and stronger than himself.  
Sirius rolled his eyes, correctly reading the look on Peter's face. Goddamn it, Pete, I'm not here to take you to bed. I've got to talk to you. It's important.  
He flopped down on the couch beside Peter, thumped his feet up on the coffee table, and grabbed a handful of cereal from the open box that sat in between them on the couch. It's about Jim and Lil.  
There's nothing wrong, is there? Peter asked, doing his best to sound anxious.  
Nah. Unless you count the most evil wizard in the world trying to kill them.  
That's not funny!  
Yeah, sorry, Sirius admitted, tossing some Crunchberries into his mouth. I wasn't trying to be funny - never mind. Gots to tell you something.  
What is it? Peter said, annoyed.   
Well - we kind of had an idea about that whole Secret-Keeper thing, Sirius said.   
Peter said, trying to hide his excitement.   
Yeah. We thought - well, if you agree, that is - that we could make *you* the Secret-Keeper.  
Peter's eyes widened, and Sirius said quickly, You don't have to do it if you don't want to - it was just an idea - but -  
Are you mad? Of course I'll do it, Peter broke him off. Anything to - to help Jim and Lil.  
Sirius' eyes lit up. Really? You will?  
Of course. Just one question. What made you think of me?  
Er - Sirius gulped, not wanting to tell Peter that they didn't think he was very good at magic. We figured - well, I'm Jim's best friend, it'd be most obvious to Vol- he stopped, remembering Peter didn't like the name - You-Know-Who that I'd be the one to chase. And I could - I dunno, *pretend* I was, and keep him distracted. See, he'd never think it'd be you.  
We'll see about that,' Peter thought but didn't say. Aloud, he said, Good plan. Was it your idea?  
Sirius said, helping himself to more cereal, Pretty much. I came up with the main idea, but Jim figured out the details.  
All right, said Peter, smiling to himself. I think it will work rather well....  
  
~September 13 - Dumbledore's office~  
  
It's done? Dumbledore asked quietly.  
James nodded. We've chosen him, and we're preparing to preform the spell. It might take us about a month to finish working everything out completely, but we're pretty much ready.  
Very well, Dumbledore sighed heavily, knowing his worst fear had come true. James and Lily had made Sirius their Secret-Keeper. You know, James... you will now have to take the best of precautions to keep your Secret-Keeper safe.  
James nodded, looking grave. Actually, Lily and I have already talked about this to them all - Remus, Sirius, Peter, Grace - if Voldemort doesn't find out who's the Secret-Keeper, he would go after them and their families one-by-one until he got the information he needs. We can't risk that. So we've told them all to do their best to get into hiding - Peter says he has a place already, Grace is planning on leaving England, and Sirius and Remus are planning where they're going to go. It's hard, you know. Asking them to drop it all and leave their families and everything just to protect us. But they all say it's worth it. He sighed heavily. Why can't he leave us alone? he asked bitterly, staring down at the polished mahogany top of the Headmaster's desk.   
Dumbledore reached across his desk and patted James' hand comfortingly. Don't blame yourself, James. There's nothing we can do to change Voldemort's thinking. We'll just have to do our best to prevent him from succeeding.  
James nodded, then rose. I'd best be going, sir. I don't want to leave Lily and Harry at home alone for long.  
All right, said Dumbledore, rising to see James out. Very well.  
When they reached the office door, an odd expression appeared on James' face. He bit his lip, then pulled something silvery out from the pocket of his robes.   
  
Might I ask you a small favour?  
  
James held out the silvery cloth - his Invisibility Cloak. Would you hold this for me? Just for awhile?  
Dumbledore took it, his blue eyes suddenly subdued behind his half-moon glasses. A- all right, James...  
  
~October 23~  
  
The Fidelius Charm had finally been preformed, between James, Lily, and Peter. Sirius had been there as a witness, trying to calm himself that everything would be all right, but his feeling of impending doom had refused to leave. And what was he to tell Remus? Sirius knew it was important that he and Remus get into hiding as soon as possible, but he couldn't think up a single reason to tell his lover that they had to pack up and leave the comfortable little house they both loved so much. Of course, he could tell Remus they had to hide in case Voldemort came after them, looking for information, but... well... what if Remus was the spy? It seemed to Sirius that Remus had been acting rather distant over the past few months, and it drove him crazy. Was his Moony a Death Eater? Was Remus consorting with Voldemort and his followers, feeding them information on the Potters? If there was even that chance, Sirius couldn't let any information leak out to Remus. Of course, Sirius had a habit of talking in his sleep... he hoped and prayed he hadn't said anything incriminating, and that Remus hadn't heard it....  
  
~October 31 - 7:00 PM - Voldemort's chambers~  
  
Voldemort paced up and down his chamber impatiently. Finally, he had received word from his spy that he had succeeded in getting important information on the Potters. Excited, Voldemort had ordered the spy to arrive at once, but since the man didn't set much store by punctuality, he still wasn't here.   
He stroked Nagini as she slithered her way up his arm to his shoulder. Where *is* he? the Dark Lord snarled, getting more impatient by the minute. Just as he was on the verge of Apperating to the servant's house, there was a knock on the door.  
There you are, Voldemort said sharply as the man entered the room. Where have you been? - but no. Never mind. What do you have to tell me?  
The black-cloaked man let out a horrible, bone-chilling chuckle that even Voldemort himself would have never believed this man capable of uttering. It has happened, My Lord... the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper....  
His red eyes widening in shock, Voldemort reached out one long, pale hand and seized the man by the collar of his robes. They have?  
A week ago, the man whispered, his eyes shining malevolently. And it is time, my Lord! Time for you to bring them to our ranks!  
With a snort, Voldemort let go of the man's robes and began putting on his cloak. Who said anything about getting the Potters on our side? I am going to kill them! Now tell me, fool, where are they?!  
  
~7:10 PM - Black/Lupin home~  
  
Sirius Apperated into the living room to find Remus sitting on the couch, waiting for him with a rather stern look on his face. He gulped and tried to keep a guilty look off his face. Hello, love.  
Hello, yourself, Remus said, getting up and glaring fiercely up at his lover. Where have you been?  
Sirius said, trying to sidestep the issue. What's for dinner?  
You do that every time! Remus said, slapping his hand down on the top of the telly. Siri, what's going on with you? You always used to take me with you wherever you went - and if I didn't go you'd at least tell me where you were going. Why won't you tell me now? Are you hiding something from me?  
said Sirius instantly, wincing mentally. He had been, in fact, and James and Lily's house, trying to plan out a hiding place for himself and Remus. Yeah, he *was* hiding something, but he wasn't going to admit it.  
Sirius, don't lie to me! Remus said, his eyes narrowing. You've not been yourself lately.  
Neither have you, Sirius snapped irritably. He didn't want to get pulled into an argument - he and Remus had skillfully avoided arguments ever since that horrible period in their sixth year - but his untamable temper was rising. He fought it down. He wasn't going to risk hurting his Remus over a stupid argument.  
What do you mean? Remus asked him suspiciously.  
You're weirder than I am these days, Sirius responded. What is it, werewolf PMS or something?!  
Remus winced as if slapped. They usually avoided bringing up his lycanthropy, because Sirius knew how it upset him. He glared up at Sirius, blinking back tears and struggling to keep his voice steady. This isn't about me, Sirius. I want to know - what are you up to?  
Shut up, Sirius said, going quite pale. Remmie, shut up.  
I won't! Remus shouted at him, the tears getting the better of him and beginning to run down his cheeks. Tell me! Even if it's - it's - -his voice broke - a-a-another man, another woman, if you're cheating on me.. please tell me!  
Sirius gathered Remus in his arms and hugged him tightly. Oh, don't even think that, Remmie, tears pricking at the corners of his own eyes. No, Remmie, there's no one else. There's only you - it's *always* been only you. I would never dream of doing that to you.  
Where were you, then? Remus whispered, as they collapsed onto the couch.  
Jim and Lil's.  
Why couldn't you just tell me that in the first place? the young werewolf said softly.  
Sirius shook his head. No, Remmie. I can't - won't - tell you that. The walls have ears, you know.  
Remus sniffled and buried his wet cheeks in Sirius' ebony mane. I'm so sorry, love. So sorry.  
Shh, don't be, his mate murmured in his ear. It's my fault. I'll start being a lot more honest to you now.  
I didn't mean to think you were up to something dodgy, Remus whispered, but Sirius didn't respond. They stayed silent for a long time, Remus running his hand along Sirius' leg as his mate just sat still and held him. Finally, Sirius broke the silence.  
Jim gave his Invisibility Cloak to Dumbledore. he said.  
Remus was taken aback.   
  
D'you think Jim knows something we don't know?  
I don't know what to think these days, Sirius sighed. He looked down at Remus and cupped his lover's chin in his hand. Did you eat already?  
Yes, sorry. I didn't want to wait... should I warm you up something?  
Nope, I'm not hungry, Sirius yawned, getting up off the couch and pulling Remus with him. Come on.  
Where are we going?  
Bed. I'm going to make up with you.  
I could accept that apology, Remus said, brushing away his tears and taking his lover's hand.  
  
~9:00 PM~   
  
Their lovemaking had been as wonderful as always, and they snuggled close together afterwards, not worrying about dinner, just wanting to stay in that warm bed together for as long as possible. Remus gave a content sigh and closed his eyes, feeling very sleepy.  
Then, quite suddenly, Sirius sat up.   
What's wrong? Remus asked in some alarm, watching Sirius jump out of bed and hurriedly begin to dress.  
Forgot to do something, Sirius grunted, pulling on his favourite set of grey robes. I'll be right back, okay, love? Just go back to sleep.  
All right, Remus said uncertainly, lying down. Will you be home soon?  
Won't take long, Sirius assured him, and kissed him gently. Love you.  
Love you too, Remus murmured, and closed his eyes. The last thing he heard before falling asleep was the sound of Sirius' motorcycle being driven away.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was raining by the time Sirius reached his destination. He dismounted the bike and hurried up the walk to the front door of the small, neat cottage which served as Peter's hideout. He rapped on the door and waited.  
No answer. Sirius knocked again. Still nothing.  
he called, trying to ignore the thread of fear that was slowly worming its way into his stomach. Pete! Are you there?  
No response. Feeling quite worried now, Sirius tried the door. It was unlocked.  
A quick search of the cottage informed Sirius that Peter was gone. There was no sign of a struggle. The clothes were in the drawers, the suitcases stored away under the bed. He obviously didn't run away, then. Unless the Dark Lord was after him. But why would he go without even taking a change of clothes? And why wouldn't he leave a note? Unless he was just running out to do someth -  
  
Sirius' stomach dropped, and suddenly it just clicked together.  
  
Oh, please God, no, Sirius whispered as he raced outside into the driving rain and got on his bike. He didn't. Oh God, please don't let me be too late.  
But before he could start up the bike, a voice sounded in his head - years later, he still didn't know exactly how to explain it, but somehow he *heard* James right then, and knew the Potters were in a hell of a lot of trouble, and it made him scream in fright and surprise.  
  
_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -_  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
~October 31 - 11:00 P.M. - Godric's Hollow~  
  
Sirius stopped dead, terror flooding his body. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. No, no, no! Tears pricked at his eyes. No, it couldn't be.....  
James and Lily's house was in ruins. Completely destroyed. And - near - near the... where the door used to be.... was -   
The tears began flowing freely when he realized the truth.   
Jim... Lil... he croaked, then another bolt of terror hit him. Harry! Where was Harry?  
He turned blindly into the rain, shaking his soaked hair out of his eyes. he screamed. Harry! Where are you? God, please don't let him be dead. Hopefully Harry would hear him and cry or something.  
  
a voice said at his shoulder, making him jump. He looked around wildly, and realized who had spoken.  
It was Hagrid, looking uncharacteristically scared. He was trembling slightly and carrying a bundle of blankets. In his state of utter shock, Sirius had walked right past him without even seeing him.  
Sirius, it's okay, Hagrid whispered. I've got   
Is he okay? Sirius asked with numb lips.  
I think so. He's alive, anyway.  
Sirius nodded slowly, then made up his mind.  
Hagrid, give him to me.  
Hagrid shook his head. No, Sirius, I can't. Dumbledore's orders.  
Give Harry to me, Hagrid - I'm his godfather, I'll look after him-  
I said no, Hagrid growled, and Sirius stopped. He didn't want an angry giant on his hands. He's ter go ter his aunt and uncle's. Dumbledore told me to take him there. I should go right now.  
Sirius said softly. But Hagrid - can I say goodbye first?  
Hagrid hesitated, then held out the bundle of blankets.  
  
Sirius took Harry in his arms and gently folded back the corner of the blanket, which was covering his forehead. His heart gave a wrench when he saw the jagged, bleeding gash on the baby's head. Ever so carefully, he kissed Harry's cheek.  
Goodbye, Harry, he murmured to his godson. I'll see you again someday, I promise. Remmie and I'll come to visit you, okay?   
Harry said sleepily, his eyelids drooping, and Sirius kissed him again.  
I love you, little guy, he whispered, before handing the baby back to Hagrid. They shook hands, and Sirius watched Hagrid walk away. He'd better go, quick... find Peter...  
He looked at his motorcycle and shook his head. he called.  
Hagrid turned.   
Sirius said, hurrying up to him and handing him his keys. Take my bike.  
But Sirius - you love that thing - why-  
Just take it! Sirius said fiercely. You'll get Harry to safety faster. And... he hesitated, then said softly, I won't need it anymore.  
Hagrid stared at him, but then nodded slowly. All righ'. he said heavily. But just fer a while, mind yeh. I'm bringin' it back to yeh.  
He carefully mounted the bike, waved to Sirius, and was gone.  
  
Pushing his hair off his neck, Sirius took a deep breath. It was now or never. He'd have to go find Peter.  
  
~November 1 - 10:00 A.M.~  
  
Remus! Oh, God, Remus, wake up!  
Remus struggled up through sleep to see Grace standing beside his bed, shaking him. She was as white as snow, her eyes huge and scared, trembling.  
What? Grace, what? Remus mumbled, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. Is something wrong?  
Jim... Jim and Lil, Grace whispered.  
What about them?  
Remus..... they're... Grace ducked her head quite suddenly, and cut herself off. She sniffed, then looked back up. When she spoke, her voice wavered. They're... dead.  
Remus gaped at her in shock as she began to cry. Jim and Lil... dead? W-what? H-how? When?  
L-last night, Grace sobbed. You-Know-Who... turned up at their house... someone was passing information to him....  
A terrible feeling had begun to creep its way into Remus' stomach. What about Harry? he whispered.  
Harry's all right. He survived somehow.. once You-Know-Who tried to kill him, You-Know-Who's powers backfired.. he's gone! She lifted her tearstained face to Remus'. He couldn't kill Harry, and no one knows why. Dumbledore sent Harry to live with his aunt and uncle....  
But who did it? Remus asked her. Who told Vol- sorry, You-Know-Who how to reach James and Lily?  
Grace choked back another sob. He killed Peter! This morning! Peter went after him... to get back at him for betraying James and Lily... he was their Secret-Keeper... but he *killed* Peter... and twelve Muggles as well!  
*Who*, Grace? Remus demanded, resisting the urge to grab her shoulders and shake her. Goddamn it, girl, tell me! Who was it?!  
  
Her reply was only three words long, one of which was a name he knew, a name he had murmured in its owner's ear time without number; but just that one name utterly destroyed Remus. That one answer was the beginning of hell for him, twelve years of misery and loneliness. Every door in his life he had thought at one time to be open now slammed shut at the sound of that name; shut and double-locked. In the days that followed, he often lay awake at night, wanting to sleep because sleep temporarily dulled the pain; but unable to sleep because he was afraid of what he might dream. So he would lay awake, alone in the huge bed he had once shared with a man who had been his best friend and his lover, and wonder if there was a God, and if there was, why did He have to let such terrible things happen to His people?   
  
Only three words, and Remus Lupin's perfect world was shattered beyond repair.  
  
It was Sirius.  
  
  
  
  
To Be Continued...   
  
  
(Coming Soon: A very depressed Sirius reflects on his situation in Azkaban.)


	11. Interlude Sirius In Azkaban

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... as always.  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash!   
  
Note: Takes place at the beginning of PoA (before Harry & Co. go back to Hogwarts). In Azkaban, Sirius mulls over things.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Interlude - Sirius In Azkaban  
  
  
  
Forever, more than anyone, I want to be with you...  
-Hiroko Asakawa, Moonlight Destiny (English translation)  
  
  
  
~August 25~  
  
Tonight will be the night of the full moon.  
  
Sirius Black murmured these words to himself as he sat on his bunk with his chin on his knees, looking out the window and across the grounds of Azkaban. The sun was sinking rapidly now, and as Sirius sat watching, his mind was on something else besides his own innocence. He ignored the slow, rattling breathing of the dementors outside his door as best he could, as he had been ignoring it for the past twelve years. Slipping his hand into the pocket of his ragged grey robes, he took out a plain golden ring. He studied it for a few minutes, watching the last few rays of daylight glimmer on it. This ring, along with the silver necklace, were sometimes his only comforts. He had been careful to keep them hidden; if anyone saw them (Fudge, for instance) they would most likely be taken away. He sighed and slipped the ring on his finger. It didn't fit as well as it should; he had lost too much weight over the years. But the familiar weight of it soothed him, and he closed his eyes and let his mind drift to Remus... his Moony.  
  
The full moon. How would he cope? Had he been locked up for the night? Would he be lost in his own rage, alone in the Shrieking Shack with no one to hurt but himself? Running free, perhaps? Or maybe he'd be doing what Sirius saw him do countless times - staring at the moon and cursing it for the pain it causes him.  
Sirius could see him in his mind's eye, his sleek silver fur shining in the moonlight, his yellow eyes full of laughter as he waited for the big black dog to catch up to him. What people don't understand about werewolves is that they are among the most beautiful creatures on Earth...... the most graceful..... but their instincts lead people to think of them as monsters, things to be feared....   
After James got married and Peter began acting distant, after he and Remus started living together, it was always just Padfoot and Moony together during the full moon. Sirius never knew why, but Moony was calmer when it was just Padfoot there, and he would curl up beside his mate, perfectly peaceful. Padfoot would rest his head on Moony's back and growl softly whenever he tried to rise. Every time Padfoot growled, Moony settled down immediately. Whenever Sirius tried to think of how hard it must have been, for Moony to ignore his instincts and stay with him.....  
  
Opening his eyes, Sirius wondered if Remus was still wearing his ring.  
  
He reached back into his robes and pulled out the article again - the article he had gotten out of the _Daily Prophet_ last month. He's at Hogwarts... Sirius whispered under his breath, scanning the picture heading the article. I swear, I'll get him. If I could get him... bring him to the Ministry.... Remmie and I could be together again. He fell silent, not wanting to say much. The dementors were blind, but they were certainly not deaf. Looking down at the smiling Weasley family, he thought, I *will* get him. Tonight. I need to start tonight. Remmie isn't the only one in trouble - Harry is in worse trouble than anyone knows.  
  
Azkaban is hell. Sirius is convinced of that now. After twelve years of being trapped between its stone walls, alone in this cold, damp, dingy cell with nothing to think of but his dead friends, the friend who had betrayed them all, and the lover who now probably hates him now, Sirius did not fear hell. There is no hell like being trapped in your own mind with not one cheerful thought to see you through. Knowing he was innocent helped, but it was not a cheerful thought. It did help him keep his sanity, but it was a poor substitute for *really* being free, being able to walk outside and go to work and visit his godson and make love to his mate.....   
Hell. Ever since he was very small, his mother had always told him, Don't be bad, or when you die you're going to go to Hell! Well, he hadn't been bad -not really- and he had still ended up there - at least, one of those Hell-on-Earth' places. The worst thing of all was the separation from Remus... and from Harry.... he loved both of them with all his heart, and more than anything he needed to see them, touch them again. Thinking of poor Remus, all alone... knowing what Remus went through whenever they were separated for long... hurt him most of all. He had heard a rumor a week or two ago that Remus was going to teach at Hogwarts this year; Sirius could imagine Remus teaching Harry's class, and he smiled a bit at the thought. He wondered idly if Remus and Harry would become close... As much as Sirius hated to admit it, Harry had been very young when they had all been taken from his life, and he doubted if Harry remembered life with his own parents, let alone himself and Remus.  
  
Still gazing down at the _Daily Prophet_ article, Sirius let his mind wander from Remus and Harry to the plan he had been formulating in his mind ever since he had seen this photograph. He needed to escape. He had to get to Hogwarts and do his best to protect Harry... do his best to get revenge. Then at least if he got recaptured, they'd have a real reason to imprison him this time....  
  
He could hear the dementors coming with his food. He let out a shuddery sigh - it was time. Slipping the article and the ring back into his pocket, Sirius summoned all the strength he had left, and transformed. When the door opened, he slipped past the dementors and ran. Padfoot ran as fast as he could through the prison, nothing but a black blur as he passed the confused dementors. He was across the grounds in no time, and he plunged into the freezing water surrounding the island without hesitation, swimming as fast as he can to the mainland.   
  
Even though it was August, the waters around Azkaban remained extremely chilly (part of the dementors' powers). The coldness of the icy water began to seep through his heavy fur after a short time; he soon began to get tired. He was out of shape. He supposed it was only a combination of nerves and adrenaline that had given him the speed he had needed to escape the prison. Paddling on grimly, trying his best to ignore the cold and his increasing weariness, Padfoot held his head as high as possible above the water and tried his best to keep up his pace. It seemed like forever before he caught the first glimpse of the shoreline. He paddled faster, paying no heed to his mounting exhaustion, and at long last, the water became shallow enough for him to stand. Padfoot hauled himself out of the water and laid down, panting and shivering, trying to catch his breath. He paused to sniff cautiously at the air. He could catch a faint scent, very faint... almost nonexistent, but he recognized it at once... the smell of wolf. Not an ordinary wolf - not at all. This scent was as familiar to Padfoot as his own name. Remus had been *there*, not very long ago, in his human form (but Padfoot could always smell the wolf on him)... doing what? Watching... waiting?   
  
Lifting his head, Padfoot looked back over the water. Azkaban was nothing but a tiny dot on the horizon from here (and the darkness made it harder to see), but in the daytime, on a clear day, it would have been easy to see. So Remus had been here, looking out over the water, looking at the fortress? What had he been thinking? What memories had been running through his head? Had he been, perhaps, thinking of a man he once loved? Maybe.... still loved?   
  
It gave Padfoot hope, and he began running again, heading north. North... to Hogwarts... to Harry. He needed to protect Harry. Yes, Sirius knew he would be all over the news by this time tomorrow... but he had an advantage... they didn't know he could become a dog. His coldness and exhaustion fell away from him as he ran, not thinking of anything but the long journey and the hard tasks ahead of him. He passed through a grassy field, a quiet, sleeping village, and through a small apple grove which quickly became a dense forest. Running through the woods, he headed to where he needed to be - as he ran, he could still pick up the faint scent of his mate, getting slightly stronger as he went. It's wasn't just Harry Sirius was going to. He was heading for his friend, his lover .... his husband.  
  
Heading for Remus.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued......  
  
  
(Coming Soon: Remus is feeling particularly angsty until a very unexpected visitor arrives.)  
  
  
(A/N: Yes, I am aware this is short. It was meant to be short. Interludes are SHORT, people. But I had to do this, just to give an insight into Sirius' thoughts while he is in Azkaban, and I thought it would be interesting to put in his escape. Maybe I should've entitled it The Great Escape instead of Sirius in Azkaban... but it sounded kind of dumb..... Anywho. The next chapter will be a little longer but... you know we are approaching the end. It won't be as long as you'd all like. (Sorry, fans of my very long chapters....))  
  
  
  



	12. After Azkaban Sirius and Remus Reunited

Disclaimer: See the first chapter....  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Minor this time. Gomen ne!  
  
*Note*: Takes place after GoF, when Dumbledore sends Sirius to stay with Remus.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
After Azkaban - Sirius and Remus Reunited  
  
  
  
So on I wait my whole lifetime  
For you............  
- Metallica, Outlaw Torn'  
  
  
  
~July 4~  
  
If anyone ever wanted to know what hell was like, they could ask Remus Lupin.  
  
He knew what hell was like. His life had been hell for twelve years.  
  
Twelve years. Four thousand, three hundred and eighty days. Twelve years of splitting headaches and serious bouts of a mysterious ailment much like the flu. Of being alone in the house he and Sirius had once shared and called home, surrounded by the old memories he tried so hard to push away. Of listening to his mother tell him she had been right all along, Sirius was nothing but trouble and Remus would have been smart to cut him out of his life a very long time ago.  
  
Of knowing his mate was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of three of his closest friends.  
  
And knowing he hated Sirius, but couldn't stop himself from loving him as well.  
  
Twelve - *bloody* - years.  
  
He had gone into this hell at twenty-one. He was now thirty-four (his birthday had been just two days ago), and he was still living in hell.  
  
Things had improved only slightly last year, when Remus had discovered that Peter was still alive and that Sirius was innocent. That put an end to the guilty feelings that came with being in love with a murderer. But Sirius was still on the run, hiding from the dementors, and so Remus was still alone and suffering on his own.  
  
He sighed and pushed his bangs back from his forehead. A cool breeze rustled through the trees and he shivered slightly. He liked sitting outside, but it was chilly out, even for July. He plucked an old black sweatshirt from a hook in the kitchen. Before pulling it on, he sniffed the sleeve. His very sensitive sense of smell picked up a faint scent. Faint, but he knew it was Sirius' scent. It used to be his sweatshirt.  
  
He picked up his book and went back outside to read, but his mind kept drifting. Staring up into the sky, which was slowly fading from burnt ocher to deep purple, he wondered where Sirius was now. He reached down the collar of his sweatshirt and pulled out the necklace Sirius had given him so long ago. He fingered the silver chain thoughtfully. It had never occurred to him, during those long years, just to throw it away. It would have been easy. He always took the necklace off before his transformations (silver and werewolves don't mix). He could have just taken it off and never put it back on. But something had compelled him to keep it. Force of habit, he supposed.  
  
Or maybe something else...  
  
He sometimes took the three-hour train ride to the shore for no reason. No reason at all, except to stare out across the water at the dim black dot which was the fortress that entombed his mate. He did this quite often in the years immediately following Sirius' capture. He never understood what compelled him to do this, and blamed it all on Moony. The wolf was greedy, the wolf didn't care about Remus' feelings, the wolf didn't give a damn how many people Sirius killed. That reasoning probably wasn't true (he had, after all, forgotten to account for his own slightly stubborn nature, which had nothing to do with Moony), but it eased his guilt (at least on a conscious level), and as the years passed he had phased out the visits to the shore. He didn't like the guilt trips that often followed. He had, however, gone back just a few days before Sirius escaped from Azkaban (and all during that year at Hogwarts he shivered to think on how close it had been). It had been a dull, cloudy day, and he couldn't even make out the smallest hint of the prison on the horizon, but a chill had gone through him all the same. Sometimes he wondered if he hadn't *sensed* that Sirius might escape....  
  
Remus tilted his head back and gazed upward, studying the night sky. He could see the Big Dipper and Mars. He could see - wait. What was that?  
Putting down his book, he jumped to his feet and squinted upward. He wasn't imagining it - something really was coming down. A bird?   
His eyes widened, realizing what it was as it landed a few yards away from him, on the patio. It was a hippogriff, and a man was dismounting it.  
  
His heart leapt - even in the waning daylight he knew who it was. He wanted to go and greet the man who was slowly approaching him, but his feet seemed frozen. He stood motionless on the top step of the porch and looked down at the man at the foot of the steps.  
  
Sirius looked about the same as he had last year, when they met each other in the Shrieking Shack. His hair was nearly past his waist and was extremely filthy and tangled; his skin was deathly white and he had a scrubby black beard that made him look like a complete stranger. His midnight-blue eyes held the haunted look Azkaban had set in them, perhaps permanently; but there was a hopeful glimmer in them as well. He was still wearing the same ragged, grey robes he had been wearing when he escaped - the same robes he had worn nearly thirteen years ago when he had kissed Remus goodbye, not knowing they were about to be separated for what felt like a lifetime. His right wrist was wrapped in a bloody scrap of cloth that looked like it had been torn from the hem of his robes. But he looked like he had put on a little weight since Remus had seen him last - not enough, nowhere near enough - but a little.   
  
Neither of them said a word. Sirius' eyes moved slowly from Remus' to the silver charm that he still wore around his neck, then to Remus' left hand, where his promise ring still glittered. Then, in slow motion, he reached into the collar of his own robes and pulled a thin silver chain out. On it were a silver star pendant and a golden ring.  
  
Sorry, Remmie, he said hoarsely. I had to take it off... I lost so much weight it kept slipping off my finger...  
Remus didn't say a word. Instead, he raced down the steps and threw himself into Sirius' arms, not caring Sirius hadn't had a bath in quite awhile. He hugged him tight, pressing himself against his lover, tears running down his cheeks. He hugged Sirius like he had wanted to in the Shack, but hadn't been able to do. It wouldn't have been appropriate for the children to find out about himself and Sirius at that moment.   
Sirius kissed his forehead and hugged him back just as tightly, crying as well. They probably would have stayed like that for quite awhile if a loud, annoyed grunt hadn't made them jump.  
  
Sorry, Buckbeak, Sirius said, looking at the hippogriff, which had come up beside them and was giving them an impatient glare. I forgot about you.  
The hippogriff gave him an extremely offended look, and Sirius smiled slightly and reached out to give it a friendly tap on the beak. I'm kidding. He looked back down at Remus. Remmie? Anything we can feed him?  
If he doesn't mind leftovers, Remus said. Hold on a minute.  
He ran inside and pulled the nearly-full casserole dish of leftover stew out of the fridge. He brought it outside and said, The barn's still in good shape. He can stay there.  
Sirius nodded and followed Remus to the old barn at the corner of their property, leading Buckbeak by his frayed rope halter. Remus pushed open the door and they went inside. Sirius led Buckbeak to one of the old horse stalls and took off his halter and collar, patting him gently and murmuring softly to him. Buckbeak laid down, apparently not minding the musty-smelling hay and looking relieved at the chance of a rest. Remus gave the dish a tap with his wand, and set the now piping-hot stew down in front of the hippogriff, who gave a grateful grunt and began to eat. Sirius stroked his feathered head and said, Sleep good, old boy.  
  
Remus wiped away another tear impatiently, and said softly, Your turn, Siri.  
  
He led Sirius back into the house. I don't know what else I've got - I could make something - he bent and rummaged in the fridge. I've got chicken, he said. And - French toast? Those don't go together....  
Remmie, I'll eat anything, Sirius said. I don't care if it goes together or not. Anything's better than rats.  
Remus shuddered. How did you manage?  
Pretended they were all Peter.  
Remus shuddered again and slid the chicken into the oven. It'll be ready in a few minutes. Now, let me see that arm.  
It's nothing, really, Sirius said gingerly.  
Remus raised a skeptical eyebrow as he looked at the makeshift bandage on Sirius' wrist, noting how the blood had soaked through in places. Nothing, my arse. That looks pretty nasty. Come on, let me see.  
Rather reluctantly, Sirius untied the bandage and unwrapped it. Underneath, a jagged, deep cut marred the pale skin of his wrist. It wasn't fatal, but it looked exceptionally bad. Remus sucked in his breath and peered closely at the wound.  
I'm not going to try a spell on it, he said, looking up anxiously at Sirius. I'm not very good at healing spells. I'm just going to have to heal this up the Muggle way. You're going to have a scar, Siri.  
Sirius tried not to wince at that, remembering how James had said almost the same thing nearly eighteen years ago. That's okay, Remmie.  
  
After fetching the first-aid kit from the bathroom, Remus set to work, carefully cleaning the cut. Sirius tried to ignore the stinging of the iodine and bit his lip to keep from whining.  
What *happened*? Remus murmured softly, taking gauze from the kit and beginning to properly bandage Sirius' wrist.  
Nothing.. I was just not paying attention. Sirius replied, feeling guilty about lying. He and Buckbeak had stopped for awhile to rest, and Sirius had gone looking for water. There was a stream, but sharp, broken sticks and thorns were quite thick around the bank. There was really no other choice, so Sirius had attempted to get to the water. He had succeeded, too, even with a hippogriff in tow. But on the way back up the bank, he had fallen to musing over his godson. Lost in thoughts and worries of Harry, he had missed a step and slipped, throwing a hand out to catch himself and succeeding only in gashing his arm. He had bandaged it clumsily with a piece of cloth he had ripped from his robes, and it plagued him for the next two days - until now, that was, with Remus to take care of it. He gulped. Yeah, he should tell Remus about what Harry had been through, and the rise of the Dark Lord.. hell, he had to, Dumbledore's orders. But he didn't want to worry Remus... well, not *yet*, anyway...  
  
You're very lucky, it isn't infected, Remus said just then, tying off the bandage and quickly cleaning up his supplies.   
Much. Thanks, Remmie... I think I'm gonna wash up a bit, Sirius said.  
You can't take a shower with *that* hair, Remus said in disgust. It's too tangled. Sit back down, I'll be right back.  
He went into the bathroom and dug a comb out from a drawer, and went back into the kitchen and brought out the scissors. Sirius was waiting patiently, eating an apple from the bowl on the counter. Remus fetched some old copies of the Daily Prophet' from the basement and spread them out on the floor.  
Hold still, he instructed Sirius, and began the difficult job of combing the tangles out of his hair.  
Sirius complained as the comb snagged a particularly difficult tangle.  
Remus apologized, and carefully untangled it. All right, he said as the oven beeped, We'll leave the ends the way they are. We'll just cut them off.  
He took the chicken out of the oven and popped the French Toast in the toaster, and brought cranberry sauce and milk out of the fridge. How long do you want it?  
As long as you can get it without tangles and split ends and all that crap, Sirius said, digging happily into his dinner. I'm used to having long hair by now.  
You *always* had long hair.  
Well, it was short compared to all this, Sirius said through a mouthful of food.  
No argument there. Remus sighed, and picked up the scissors. For the next half hour, neither of them said a word as Sirius ate and Remus concentrated on carefully trimming his hair.  
He didn't have to cut as much as he'd thought. When he was done, Sirius' hair was still a little more than halfway down his back.  
  
he announced, straightening up and going for the broom.   
Me too, said Sirius, putting down his fork. That was good, Remmie. I think I'm going to take that shower now.  
All right, Remus agreed. I'll go find something for you to wear.  
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Remus pulled open the trapdoor leading to the attic and climbed up the rickety ladder. he muttered, and used the light from his wand to locate the cord for the light bulb. He found it and turned it on, then gazed around the attic. Where - ah.  
He crossed over to where a trunk and a few boxes sat, and knelt to rummage through them. He had saved all of Sirius' belongings over the years - why, he didn't know. He just couldn't bear to throw them away, so instead he put it all in the attic where he didn't have to look at it.   
Well, he might as well bring most of it down. Actually, he ended up lugging it all down, creating a God-awful racket.   
  
Remmie? Are you okay? Sirius' voice called from the bathroom over the hiss of the shower.  
I'm fine, Remus called back, pulling out underwear and black robes from the trunk. He tapped them with his wand and muttered a freshening spell to rid the clothes of the attic smell, then knocked on the bathroom door and entered.  
Sirius was just wrapping a towel around his waist. Thanks, Remmie, he said, and ran a hand thoughtfully over his beard. Got a razor?  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, after a great deal of cussing and ranting. Remus was in the kitchen, making tea, when Sirius joined him.  
Do I look okay?  
With his hair clean and neat again, and the beard gone (though a shadow of it remained; Sirius was one of those men who could never completely banish a five o'clock shadow no matter how often he shaved), he looked younger and a little bit healthier. Still too pale, and much too thin, but he was beginning to look like the old Sirius again.  
Remus hugged him. Much better.  
Sirius hugged him back, and they stayed in each other's arms for a long while. The impatient whistling of the teakettle finally drew their attention, and Remus reluctantly let go of Sirius to pour the tea.   
  
They seated themselves at the dining room table and sipped at their tea, silent for a little while. Then Remus finally gave voice to the question he had been unwilling to ask.  
Siri, how long will you be here?  
Sirius shrugged. I don't know. Until Dumbledore tells me to leave, I suppose.  
  
He sent me here, Sirius answered, suddenly looking very depressed. It looked like it was time to tell Remus about Harry and the Dark Lord..... Wants me to alert all our old friends.  
Remus asked, dread growing in his stomach.  
Sirius swallowed, and said hesitantly, Voldemort - is back. He rose again..... killed Cedric Diggory. Harry saw it all.  
Remus suddenly felt very ill. Is - is he okay? he whispered, barely daring to breathe.   
About as okay as he can be after seeing something like that. Sirius mumbled. He's got more courage than anyone ever gave him credit for.  
What are we going to do? Remus asked helplessly.  
The only thing we can do. Fight back. He sighed. But there's another problem.  
It gets worse?  
Fudge won't believe it. That's why I've got to get in touch with everyone, and convince them of the truth.  
So that's why Dumbledore sent you here...  
Because you're the only other one who knows the truth, Sirius said bitterly, draining his teacup.   
Remus blinked back a stray tear. I don't want you to leave.  
Sirius reached across the table and took Remus' hands in his. It won't be for a while, he said softly. Don't cry, love.  
Remus nodded, and looked up at the clock. It was nearly midnight.  
It's late, he murmured. You need your rest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sirius climbed into their bed without bothering to get undressed. Remus went into the bathroom to put on his nightshirt, and when he returned Sirius was nearly asleep. Remus slid between the blankets and turned off the light.  
Sirius murmured sleepily.  
  
I'm sorry.  
Tears welled up in Remus' eyes again, but he wiped them away. He moved close to Sirius and put his arms around him. For what?  
Leaving you alone for so long.  
It's okay, Remus whispered, kissing his cheek. You're with me now. That's all that matters.  
Love you, Sirius mumbled.  
Love you too. Always.  
Sirius' breathing grew slow and quiet and he slept deeply. Remus stayed awake a little while longer, listening to his mate sleep, feeling secure and content for the first time in a *long* time in Sirius' arms.  
  
He knew Sirius couldn't stay forever. When he left, Remus would stay behind.... and wait, just as he had for nearly thirteen years. But someday.... Sirius' innocence would be proved, and he would be home for good... Voldemort would be gone forever....... and Harry....... Harry could come live with them.....   
  
Sirius would have to leave sooner or later, but until then, Remus planned on enjoying his company to the fullest.  
  
Sleep finally caught Remus, and he slept as soundly as the man beside him, and dreamed of sitting on the porch with his mate, watching Harry and his friends playing in the pool.  
  
  
To Be Continued......  
  
  
  
(Coming Soon: Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn the truth about their former professor and Harry's godfather.)  
  
  
(A/N: Hello, lovely readers! This was meant to be the last chapter, I think you should know, but thanks to a few ideas from reviewers, my cousin, and my Muses, I came up with a smashing idea for Chapter 13. So we shall crack on with this story! More to come soon, I promise! Keep the reviews coming, please, I love them all so much! And I love all *you* so much! Thank you! *blows kisses*)  



	13. Epilogue: Breaking The News

Disclaimer: See the first chapter....  
  
WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Minor this time. Gomen ne!  
  
*Note*: Takes place after the defeat of Mouldy Voldie, which in my opinion will happen in Book 7, guaranteeing Siri's freedom. Harry has just come to live with Sirius and Remus, and Ron and Hermione are visiting. Ages: Harry & Hermione, 17; Ron, 18.  
  
Credits: I must absolutely thank my cousin Liz (Princess Miyako). She is a babe, and I love her so much! She helped me immensely by coming up with the base idea for this chapter, and I can't possibly thank her enough. Liz, I love you! May your Muses never leave you!  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Epilogue - Breaking the News  
  
  
  
What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does.  
-Rubeus Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  
  
  
~July 8~  
  
Anything good in the _Prophet_ today, love? Remus asked idly, looking up from his sinkfull of dishes and glancing over his shoulder at the tanned, dark-haired man sitting at the kitchen table.  
Sirius mumbled, flipping a page. I hate to say it, but the news was more exciting when Voldemort was around.  
Remus shuddered, and turned back to his dishes. Don't even say that, he said uneasily, not wanting to remember the horrible war against the Dark Lord.  
Sorry, darling. Though the news may be boring, at least I can rest easy every night knowing you and Harry are safe, his mate murmured, getting up from the table and joining Remus at the sink. He wrapped his strong arms around his lover's slender waist and brushed a kiss across his temple.  
I love you, Siri, Remus whispered.  
I love you too, Remmie. Sirius replied, and gently turned Remus towards him for a kiss.  
  
  
Sirius and Remus leapt apart as the screen door banged open and Hermione Granger stalked in, brushing her bushy brown hair away from her face and scowling. Remus plunged his hands back into the dishwater and Sirius hastily headed for the fridge as if that was where he had been heading all along. Harry and his friends didn't know anything about their relationship, and though both Sirius and Remus knew very well that they would have to tell them soon, they hadn't figured out how. True, Harry had only been living with them for a week, and Ron and Hermione had only been visiting for three days, so they hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary yet... It had been rather hard for Remus and Sirius to try and act simply as best friends when around the three teenagers; the truth needed to be told. But now wasn't the time.  
  
What's wrong, Hermione? Sirius asked the scowling girl, who fortunately hadn't seen a thing.  
Hermione said, startled. I'm sorry, Sirius, Remus. I hope I didn't interrupt anything.  
Not at all, Remus lied. What's wrong? You seem flustered.  
Well, I - oh, it's nothing, Hermione said in a would-be casual voice.  
Apparently it is, judging by the way you stormed in here, Sirius said, sitting back down at the table and pulling out the chair beside him. Come on, what's up? You look like you have something on your mind.  
Hermione bit her lip and sat down. All right. But you can't say anything to Harry and Ron!  
Our lips are sealed, Remus promised, drying his hands as he too took a seat at the table. What's wrong?  
Well, it's - it's Ron, Hermione said unhappily. She blushed as she said it and looked down at her hands, feeling a little embarrassed telling this all to two men who were much older than her and would most likely think her silly, but somehow, she knew it would feel better to get it off her chest. Well, not *really* Ron, if you get my drift - it's more like our parents....  
Let me guess. You and Ron want to be together, but your parents aren't to thrilled. The same thing happened to me and Remmie when - Sirius cut himself off abruptly. Oops. That wasn't supposed to get out.  
Hermione looked up at him. Yes, that's it! But how - Sirius, what do you mean, you and Remmie'? You sound like you've been through this before - She looked between him and Remus, who was blushing (Damn my facial capillaries!' he thought).  
  
Great slip-up, Black, Sirius' mind snapped sarcastically, and he could have hit himself in the head. Er, well...  
Hermione had not been top of her year every year for nothing. She looked from Sirius' awkward expression to her beet-red former professor, and put Sirius' comment together with their looks. Her chocolate-brown eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth. When she had recovered slightly from the surprise, she whispered, Sirius! You - and - and Remus? You're - you were -  
Sirius nodded slowly. Yeah. Yeah, Hermione, Remus and I were - *are* - well, together.  
Hermione's look of shock was slowly replaced by a wide grin. I *knew* it!  
Both men stared at her blankly. You did?  
She giggled. Oh, come on, you two. It's not that hard to guess. But you haven't told Harry yet, have you?  
Sirius muttered. Just my luck, he'd hate me all over again.  
He only hated you back then because it was before you told him the *truth*, Hermione pointed out. Ever since he found out Wormtail was the traitor, he's loved you. You're like another dad to him now - *both* of you, she added, looking over at Remus. Don't you think he deserves to know?  
said Sirius. I mean - I was going to tell him, but... you know....  
Hermione did know of some of the anti-gay principles the Dursleys had hammered into Harry, but she also knew Harry would love both Sirius and Remus no matter what. She opened her mouth to say so, but was cut off by Sirius, who gave her a crafty grin from under his long, shaggy bangs. But I do believe, Hermione dear, that you were telling *us* about *your* problem.  
she muttered, her thoughts coming back down to her own problems. Well.... you know how Ron and I feel about each other... but... my dad isn't happy. He thinks Ron isn't..... good enough for me. He's always asking what I see in that poor red-headed kid'.  
  
Remus took Hermione's hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it gently. And it's hard. Of course it is. It happened to us.  
It did?  
Our parents hated the idea of us together, Sirius said, a note of bitterness entering his voice. *Hated* it. My parents didn't want anyone to know they had a gay son. They kept me and Remus from seeing each other, and tried to talk me out of being with him. Didn't work, we were already mated, happened the first time we had s-  
They weren't thrilled, Remus said hastily, shooting a look at Sirius. My parents were rather... *emphatic*... on the matter. His hand drifted to his cheek unconsciously, thinking of the time his father had found him in bed with Sirius.  
Hermione gasped. They hit you?  
Remus shook his head quickly, but not quick enough to hide the tears that had sprung into his eyes at the memory. Feeling a tad absurd, he dug out his hanky and wiped his eyes. At the same time, he felt Sirius' arms slide around his waist and Hermione's lips brush a kiss across his cheek.  
Don't cry, love, Sirius whispered fiercely in his ear. It's over with. Only a memory. And we're still together, aren't we?  
It's not worth it, Hermione said, squeezing Remus' hand encouragingly.  
Remus nodded and sniffed, dabbing at his eyes again and putting his hanky away. You're both right. It's in the past... I shouldn't bother myself with it. As I was going to say.... you shouldn't let your parents run your life, Hermione.  
Tell em you're going with Ron and that's all there is to it, Sirius shrugged.  
Did it work for you?  
Well - er, eventually. After my grandmother died.  
Ron's grandmother is already dead, Hermione said, and she and Sirius giggled.   
Remus shook his head. But you do understand what I'm saying, right?  
Hermione giggled, trying to regain a straight face. I'm sorry. Yes, Remus. You're saying Ron and I'll just have to do the best we can and wait until our families come around - right?  
Her professor beamed at her. Yes, that's it.  
It really worked for you two?  
  
  
Yes, really! Remus said, a tad impatiently.  
Any more questions? Sirius teased her.  
  
I have one, a curt voice said from the kitchen doorway, making Hermione, Remus, and Sirius jump. It was Harry, his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe with Ron behind him, both of them looking curious. Sirius, Remus, why didn't you tell me before? That you guys are together?  
Sirius said weakly, stuck anew on how much Harry looked like James as his godson walked into the kitchen. Er - Harry, I wasn't sure how you'd take it. I know I should have told you before you moved in - I mean, in case you felt uncomfortable living with a gay couple -  
Harry waved a hand impatiently. Sirius, you know damn well I love you and Remus no matter what you do. I mean, you know I don't even mind you dated my own mother! He hoisted himself up onto the counter and raised an eyebrow. So when did you plan on telling me? After I walked in on you or something?  
Remus and Sirius blushed simultaneously. Sorry, Harry, they mumbled in unison, avoiding that piercing green glare, so much like Lily's.   
Sirius sighed, stood up, and said, All right, then - Harry, Ron, and Hermione, listen to what I am saying - Harry especially - Remus and I are lovers. Yes, that means we're gay, it means we have sex together - (the three teenagers blushed but Sirius ignored this) - and it means we're madly in love with each other, and will be forever. He crossed over to his godson and took Harry's hands in his. Can you live with that?  
Harry looked up at him, a tear glimmering in the corner of one of his eyes, but he was smiling. Yeah, you stupid great prat. I can live with that just fine.  
  
-_Because I think it's fantastic that you both have each other. I really think you need each other, I think being together and having me here will help you both get over your guilty feelings on my parents' deaths and whatever happened in your pasts. I think Remus is perfect for you, Sirius. I think he will help heal you, help replace whatever it was that Azkaban took from you, and make you whole again, make you back into the Sirius Black my parents knew and loved. And Remus needs you as well - to be there with him during the full moon, to love him even when he feels like a monster. To make him feel as human as possible... and draw him out of his sadness and loneliness. I'm glad he has you, and you have him, to help you get through everything, and glad you each have the other to take care of, and to care for you. Yes. You are perfect for each other, I can live with that, and anyone who can't isn't worth bothering with.-_  
  
He hugged Sirius tightly, not voicing his thoughts, but just trying to assure his godfather that he loved him with that one hug, trying to convey his love, understanding, and acceptance through it.  
And Sirius understood, and whispered in Harry's ear. I love you, Harry. You're just like your dad, you know.  
I love you too, Sirius. And I'm glad I'm like my dad, Harry whispered back as they separated, and slid off the counter. He went straight up to Remus and hugged him too, for the first time fully aware of how strong Remus was in spite of his thin and sometimes sickly appearance as Remus hugged him just as tightly as Sirius had done.   
Thanks for taking care of him, Harry muttered in Remus' ear. He needs you - and you need him, you know?  
Remus whispered back, kissing Harry's forehead. Yes, Harry, I do know.  
When Remus and Harry let go of each other, Sirius cast a curious glance at Hermione and Ron, who had drawn back a little and were standing near the back door, holding hands and looking just the slightest bit out of place. He was already well-assured by Hermione's acceptance of the news; it was just Ron he was a little worried about. He didn't want Ron's relationship with Harry to be strained by the news... while Harry and Hermione clearly had no qualms about living with a gay couple, Ron just might. And Sirius really didn't want Ron to feel uncomfortable around either himself or Remus; God knew all three of the teenagers had drawn close to the two adult wizards over the past four years.  
Er - Ron? Sirius asked. Are you okay?  
Ron took a deep breath and shrugged, but gave both men a reassuring smile. Yeah, Sirius, I'm okay - it's just - you know, a shock. A *good* one, he added hastily before anyone could comment. It's going to take me a little while to get used to - but I still like you both. And, you know, I think it's cool you've got each other - I mean, you're.. I dunno, like the Odd Couple or something.  
The kitchen exploded with laughter at Ron's comment; Ron turned almost as red as his hair but laughed too.   
You're right, sniggered Remus, wiping tears from his eyes and smiling up at the tall redhead. I suppose we *are* the Odd Couple, in a way. I'm the neat one...  
I'm the messy one and proud of it, Sirius said, making as if to kiss Ron's cheek, but he thought better of it and squeezed his hand instead, then smiled shyly at the three teenagers. It's going to sound sappy when I say it, but - having your support - well, means a lot to us.  
Uhoh, you're getting mushy, Sirius, Harry teased. You'd better stop there, or Ron'll get freaked out.  
With a grin, Sirius nodded. Yeah, I suppose I'll have to hold up my reputation *somehow*, right?  
Hermione grinned back. Wouldn't want Sirius Black, escaped convict, ruining his reputation, she said, and dodged, giggling, as Sirius made a half-hearted swipe at her head. Anyone up for a swim?  
Sounds good, Ron agreed, putting an arm around Hermione's waist and starting to head out the door. C'mon, Harry.  
I'll be along in a minute, Harry said, and waited until Ron and Hermione were halfway to the pool before turning to Remus and Sirius. You know, you didn't have to be scared about telling me, he said softly. I've taken everything else you've ever told me pretty well, haven't I?  
Sirius agreed. But... we were scared you'd act like everyone else when you found out...  
Not very well, Remus said quietly.  
Harry smiled a little. But I didn't. And I'm telling you the truth - I'm really happy you guys are together.  
Thank you, Harry, Remus murmured, feeling tears stinging his eyes once more.  
Harry paused halfway out the door and looked back at them. What did they say when they found out? - my parents, I mean.  
Sirius smiled. They're the ones who tried to get us together in the first place, really. They knew we were meant for each other before we realized it ourselves.  
Harry's smile widened. Without another word, he slipped out the door and ran across the lawn to join Ron and Hermione.  
  
He really is a wonderful boy, Remus murmured, digging out his hanky once more. He's just like his parents.  
The best of both, all in one, Sirius said softly, kissing Remus' cheek and giving him a tight hug. Don't cry, love.  
I *do* cry too often, don't I? Remus said sheepishly, putting away his hanky.  
I think it's cute, Sirius replied, then tickled his mate under the chin. But I like seeing you laugh even more. D'you want to go join them?  
Remus shook his head and took his lover's hand. Not just yet. Let's just leave them, for now. I only want to sit and cuddle with you.  
  
The two men went out onto the sunny back porch and settled themselves in the old porch swing, half-sitting, half-lying in each other's arms, dozing in the warm sunshine and watching Harry and his friends playing in the pool.   
What about Ron and Hermione? Remus wondered aloud, remembering Hermione's worries for the first time in the last half hour.   
Sirius shook his head and kissed the side of Remus' neck. I wouldn't worry about them, my love. I think they're going to be okay. They can take care of themselves, and their parents will come around in time.  
You're right, Remus said softly. They'll be okay.  
  
He settled back in Sirius' arms, feeling very happy and content, fully at peace with the world for the very first time since.... God, a long time - probably since before Sirius went to Azkaban. With a small smile, he watched Harry, Ron, and Hermione playing a rather haphazard game of water volleyball, not wanting this afternoon to end. Now that the children knew about himself and Sirius, the guilty feelings Remus had been habouring over keeping their relationship secret were gone. His eyelids began to droop. His last thought before falling asleep was, _Some people might not think my life is perfect - and it isn't, not entirely - but I wouldn't change a single thing about it._  
  
  
~Tout Fini~  
  
  
~November 21, 2002 - June 1, 2003~  
  
  
  
(A/N: Sorry this had to be the end.... thanks to everyone who stuck around for so long! ^-^ I was sapped for ideas, so this was as far as I could get. Took nearly a whole year out of my life, this story did. It was well worth it, I think. I finally tackled a long, serious story as opposed to my short, silly stories. I'm in the process of writing another serious romance - it's not Harry Potter, but I promise it'll be sweet.....)  



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